Jack
by Nina Elric
Summary: When Jack comes home to a catastrophe, his life is changed forever. But he finds that in his darkest hour, the most unlikely of people are there at his side and that evil has plans far greater for him than he could ever imagine. Complete!
1. Fire

**A/N:** Oh no! An XS fic! Okay, I wrote this at 2:35 in the morning so be nice in the grammar department. I hope you like it! My first XS fic ever...

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* * *

**__**Jack**_

_The Jackophile_

The cool night air blew across his face as he glided through the starry sky. His heart was light with victory. As he thought of future plans of conquest. As he thought, his mind wandered to the safety of his home, the place to which he was returning. Clutching the sack of magical objects that were his reward for his well thought out plans, he thought about a nice cold shower and his mother's freshly baked cookies. Even the most hardened of villains had a place in their hearts for Mom's homemade cookies. A light smile crossed his lips as something dark in the sky ahead caught his eyes. The mass billowed up from the ground and gathered high in the sky. He flew forwards a bit more before pausing to squint off into the distance. His heart froze in his chest as he set his propellers into a horizontal position and sped off in the direction of the billowing smoke. The closer he got to his home, the larger the smokestack became.

_It can't be…_

His red eyes beheld a most terrifying scene. Fire. Flames danced merrily in the night as they devoured the place he had once called home. The windows of the large house glowed angrily at him; his eyes refusing to look into them.

_Mom!_ A cold feeling filled every inch of his body as he ran into the fiery building.

"Mom," he called, "Dad?"

Maybe they weren't home. Maybe they were lucky enough to have been at some party instead of here at home.

"M… Mommy?"

A delicately charred object that resembled a human arm caught his eye. A lifeless hand stuck out from beneath the fallen basement door. Bending down beside the arm, he lifted the door from his mother's fragile body. Sweat soaked his body as the heat from the fire joined with his over-powering fear.

"M…Mom?" He shook.

Glazed-over eyes looked out at nothing, but locked within them was a terrible sense of fear.

"Mmmm…" His voice was trapped in his throat.

Pale white fingers trembled as he reached out to touch his mother's delicate face.

"Mom…" he choked as he brushed her cheek with his trembling hands, "Mommy…"

Tears welled up in his eyes and dribbled down his own pale cheeks; washing away soot and make-up.

This can't be happening… 

His mind began to spin with the chaos around him.

His body shook as he looked around to find his father's crumpled body lying in a far corner.

The fire was too intense and the smoke was thickening; he was beginning to choke. Jack Spicer stumbled to his feet and ran from his burning home. His life as he knew it was changed forever.


	2. The Dragons Arrive

**A/N:** It's really hard to come up with unique Omi- and Clay-isms at 3:45 in the morning so just deal with it. Subject to minor changes upon further consciousness. I just wanted to get it up.

* * *

"I can't _believe_ that dirty snake used sleeping gas on us! I mean, we were already asleep!"

"How should I know?" Raimundo yawned, "Double knock-out?"

"Why bother even thinking about it? It was Jack," Kimiko scoffed.

"Yes, but even with us completely unconscious, he still only managed to get away with a few Shen Gong Wu."

"That's true, little partner, but the fact is, he got some."

"What is that smell?"

"Whatcha mean, Dojo?" Clay asked as he leaned over the dragon's side.

"Smells like something's burning. Or… is burned…"

"That's nice. Jack probably used the Star Hanabi to light a bon fire and cook marshmallows…" Kimiko speculated.

"Yeah," Rai laughed, "And then he caught the whole forest on fire!"

"And the best part is," Clay snickered, "He didn't even steal the Orb of Tornami to put the fire out with!"

The young warriors doubled over with laughter.

"Uh, guys?"

"What's wrong, Dojo?" Clay laughed.

"Yeah, come on, we were only having some fun…" Rai snickered.

"At Jack Spicer's expense," Kimiko added and the laughter broke out again.

"No really," Dojo's voice seemed hard and cold.

"Okay," Clay said as he got his laughter under control.

"Yes, Dojo, we are all eyes," Omi smiled.

"Ears," Rai corrected.

"Whatever!"

"Look dead ahead," was all the dragon said.

In the not too far off distance was a dark patch in the ground where Jack's house should've been. It smelled of burning wood and plastics.

"Dang," Rai chuckled as he waved his hand before his nose, "Looks like he burned his whole house down."

"I don't know," Dojo mumbled, "Let's check it out."

The dragon soared to the ground and touched down just inside the wall that surrounded the charred remains.

"My God," Clay drawled as he waved his hat before his face, "Smells worse'n the pig pen on a hot Saturday afternoon!"

"Ugh, my nose hurts," Rai complained.

"Let's just find Spicer and get our Wu back," Kimiko said as she walked towards the house.

The other monks followed Kimiko up to the burnt foundation. Inside, lying on a pile of ash was a dark form.

"Jack," Kimiko barked, "What did you do!"

The form only shook slightly.

"I have found the Shen Gong Wu," Omi announced as he held a brown sack in his hand.

"There's nothing left," Rai said in awe.

"This place is as barren as my Great Aunt Sally."

There was a long pause.

"Yeah," Kimiko said slowly, "Hey Jack," she said as she approached the huddled form, "You alive?"

"I…" the form whimpered

"Well?"

"Tired…" he sighed.

"Yeah, you should be. Do you realize your entire house is gone!"

"They're gone too…"

There was an awkward pause.

"All gone," he sighed.

A strange sense of anxiety and fear filled the monk's minds.

"Well," Kimiko paused, "What happened?"

"It burned. They burned. Everything burned."

"We gathered that," Raimundo barked, "But who's 'they'?"

The body slowly straightened out. Jack Spicer sat up and looked at the charred door that laid on the floor beside him.

"My parents."

They froze. Everyone froze.

Jack stood up and turned to them. Soot covered his face, except for a few streaks where tears had fallen. His red eyes were dead in their sockets.

"There's more Wu," he sighed, "In the basement; if you can find them."

"Jack… Your parents are dead and you're thinking about Shen Gong Wu?" Kimiko screeched.

Jack shrugged, "That's all _you_ want. Just take 'em and leave."

"What about you?" A bit of sentimentality crept into Kimiko's voice.

Jack shrugged, "I'll figure something out. As an evil genius, I can adapt to anything." He snapped his fingers.

"Dude, look, I'd be wigging out if… if I found out that… my parents… were dead…" Raimundo said.

Omi cleared his throat, "We must fist get the Shen Gong Wu and _then_ deal with Jack Spicer's problems."

"Why don't you go get all the Wu, Omi?" Clay asked.

"Uh, okay," Omi chirped.

"It is okay," Omi said as he walked by Jack, "We are all subject to loss at one point or another."

Jack snarled, "You don't understand."

"Of course I do. It is not your fault…"

"Omi!" Kimiko cut him off, "Jack's parents are dead, he didn't lose a Showdown."

"Yes but…"

"No, that's not the same kind of loss. You should know that."

Omi was silent for a moment.

"I am most sorry," Omi said as he wandered off to the basement.

Jack tried to wipe the ashes from his black coat, but they only smudged and engrained themselves deeper into the material.

"Jack," Kimiko reached out to him.

"No," he pulled his arm away, "Just… Just leave me alone!"

Jack stamped a foot on the floor. His legs went weak and he collapsed back to the ground.

"You can stay with us for a while," Clay offered.

"You guys don't want me around…"

"True," Rai mumbled.

Kimiko gave Raimundo a vicious glare.

"Boy, this is an awkward situation," Rai said as he scratched the back of his head.

Jack picked some of the ashes up and let them run through his fingers.

"It's all gone…" he said flatly with a small laugh, "My home, my lair," he scoffed, "Everything. What's an evil genius to do without his lair? Or an army of robots to rebuild it?" He laughed. "Guess this means that Mom never made any cookies… You know I found her, right here, under that door. She was dead," he said flatly, "I never wanted to get anyone hurt… or killed…"

"Jack," Kimiko reached for his arm again, "How did this happen?"

He shrugged and sniffed, "Just did. I came home to flames and ran away when I found my parents dead," he scoffed again, "Seems like all I can do is run away."

"I believe that I have retrieved the remaining Shen Gong Wu," a sooty Omi announced as he emerged from the basement.

"Great, now you can get lost and leave me alone," Jack barked.

Everyone shrugged in futility as they turned to leave Jack behind.

"You gonna be okay, partner?" Clay asked over his shoulder.

"I'll be just peachy. Now go away!"

Heat welled up in Clay's face as he followed the rest of the monks onto Dojo's back. In solemn silence, Dojo and the monks took of into the air.

"Please," Jack whimpered even after they were gone, "Just leave me alone…"


	3. Unwanted

**A/N:** Okay, at 4:13 in the morning, I am done for now :)

* * *

Custody was a nightmare. No one wanted the Spicer boy. He was a recluse, not to mention a bit odd on the eyes. He could've been an albino if not for his flaming red hair. It took forever before some distant relatives finally agreed to take him in, just to get him through the worst of it.

Jack never seemed to care. He took to the basement of his new home rather quickly and began manufacturing a makeshift lab. As long as he kept himself busy, the pain never got to him. There were times when he questioned his decision not to go with the Xiaolin warriors, but what? They didn't have time to baby-sit him. His family members barely had the time. Eventually, Jack lost interest in robots. After all, he had only built them to in some way make his mother proud of him. He became too lazy to put on his daily regiment of eye make-up and spent most of his time wasting away in his room.

Because there were no out-right remains, it took the family a while before they could get a funeral mass together. Finding cremation plots isn't always easy.

Jack had nothing to do with any of it.

There was a public invite to the funeral published in a local newspaper, which Kimiko happened to stumble upon while surfing the net.

"Hey, check this out," she showed the other's her PDA.

"'Spicer?' As in Jack?" Raimundo asked.

"Yeah. What do you think about dropping in on him?"

"Kimiko," Omi began, "Why do you suddenly care about Jack Spicer?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. It just feels weird going after Shen Gone Wu, knowing that Jack won't be there to do something entertainingly stupid."

Rai and Clay chuckled.

"Yeah, there's no one to make fun of or laugh at anymore…" Rai added.

Then that awkward silence sank in.

"Let's just face it, buckaroos, we miss Jack Spicer," Clay sighed.

"Agreed," Omi mumbled.

"So what d'ya think? Should we drop in on Spicer?" Kimiko chirped.

Clay shrugged, "Sounds like a plan, but, what if having us around only makes it worse?"

"Look here," Kimiko showed them the newspaper article again, "Says here that the fire was caused by a gas leak behind the stove. It wasn't Jack's fault."

"Yeah, but who are we to tell him that?" Raimundo shrugged.

"We're not," Kimiko declared, "Come on. A little spontaneity never killed anyone!"

There was an awkward silence.

"Well?"

"Alright," Clay stood up, "Let's do it. He owes us a Sunday anyway…"

"Yeah, but isn't a funeral supposed to be all somber and stuff?" Rai asked, "Besides, we aren't exactly family members."

"Not necessarily," Kimiko replied, "Maybe if we throw in a bit of fun, things won't be so bad."

"Worth a shot," Clay said.

"What about you, Omi?" Kimiko asked, "You in?"

"Well, I have never been to a funeral before. It should be a most enlightening experience."


	4. Blue Suit

"I'm not going!" Jack stomped his foot and folded his arms.

"Jack," the woman sighed, "They were your parents…"

"Yeah, 'were'. My parents are dead. Whether or not I go to some _event_ doesn't change that!"

"Please come, if only to say goodbye…"

Jack glared at the floor, "I've already said goodbye."

An awkward silence filled the foyer.

"Well," the woman sighed, irritated, "Here's your suit, just in case you change your mind."

She laid the blue suit down on the stairs beside Jack.

"Like I'll change my mind," he scoffed as she walked off.

Jack rolled his eyes and stood up on the stairs. He looked down and growled angrily at the suit. He went up a stair and paused for a moment. Turning, he snagged the hanger in his hand and carried the thing into his room.

Slamming the door behind him, Jack threw the formal outfit to the floor of his room. He sat heavily into his bed and clasped his hands over his eyes.

"I want to go home…" he whimpered, "Besides," he sniffed as he removed his hands from his face, "What was she thinking! A blue suit…" He moved the lifeless clothing a bit with his foot.

The longer he starred at the suit, the lighter his heart became. Things were as they were and they weren't about to change. Glaring at the wall at the head of his bed, Jack began to wonder if he'd even know any of the people at the funeral. Probably not, not that any of them would even want to talk to him.

"Better that way," he mumbled.

His face began to burn again as he buried it in his pillow.

The funeral was two days away. He had plenty of time to make up his mind.


	5. The Funeral

**A/N:** This is the last of these stupid Author's Reviews, but I think I'm gonna slow down a bit. A good story equires thought and now that i've gotten the "Intro" out of the way, I actually need to plan out the rest of the story. But anyway, thanks for reading!

* * *

It was a sunny day at the cemetery. People gathered to say goodbye to his parents. They all wore diamonds and jewels, multiple-hundred dollar dresses and tuxes, and traveled in posh limos. Jack had no place among this crowd.

"Where's Jack?" one of the patrons asked.

"He wouldn't come," his caretaker sighed.

"A strange one, he is," a man responded, "The Spicer's were good people. How they ended up with a boy like him amazes me. Spoiled brat."

"He's hurting right now…" the woman tried to explain, in more of an attempt to defend herself than Jack.

"No reason to be a recluse," the man mumbled as he walked off with his flute of champagne.

The woman sighed and rubbed the lip of her glass. Looking out at the horizon, she saw four forms cresting the hill before her. Everyone that had been invited was here.

"Funeral crashers," she growled.

"You really think this is okay?" she heard one of them say.

"No," she barked, "It isn't."

"Rai!" Kimiko snarled.

"Can I help you… children?" the woman said as she approached them.

"Yeah, can you tell us if we're in the right cemetery?" Rai said smartly; Kimiko jabbed him harshly with her elbow.

"We're… friends of Jack's…" she tried to explain.

The woman looked over the unusually group. A stocky cowboy, a tall, slim young man, a shorter oriental girl, and a… um… yellow cheese puff.

"Jack's friends?" she questioned, "As far as I know, Jack doesn't have any friends."

"Well… He doesn't really know it…" Clay said slowly.

"Yeah," Rai snickered, "We didn't even know until a few days ago." He was met with another violent jab from Kimiko.

"Is Jack here?" Kimiko asked.

The woman shook her head, "He doesn't even have the decency to pay his parents some respect. He really is quite a brat."

The monks looked nervously amongst themselves.

"But if you wish to stay anyway," the woman continued, "there's some punch on the back of that truck over there."

"Ooo, punch," Rai exclaimed, "Don't mind if I do!"

"Bring us all back some," Kimiko called after him.

"It's hot out here," Clay said slowly.

"No cute euphemisms?" Kimiko asked.

"Too tired to really come up with one."

They wandered beneath a tall tree and sat under its shade.

"Much better," Clay sighed.

A twig above them snapped and fell onto Kimiko's lap. Looking up, she saw nothing. Taking the twig up in her fingers she turned to Clay.

"I was really hoping that he'd be here…"

"Yeah," Clay sighed, "We smuggled the Wu and everything."

Another limb snapped and landed at Clay's feet.

"Something's up there," the said as he looked up into the tree.

"Shh," Omi put a finger to his lips, "Listen."

Music. The soft sound of loud music leaking from headphones came down from the tree's branches. Kimiko smirked as she motioned to Clay. Kimiko stood up and went to the other side of the tree. Up in the branches sat a body.

"He's up in the tree!" she laughed quietly. "Jack," she called out loud, but he couldn't hear her over his music. "Shake the tree, Clay," she whispered.

With a light touch, the tree shook and Jack looked down. Peaking over his goggles he saw Kimiko standing at the base of the tree.

Pausing his music, he asked, "Kimiko? What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to see how you were doing…"

"'We?'"

"Yeah," Kimiko looked around the base of the tree, "Clay?" he was gone.

"Well, howdy, partner!"

Jack spun around to find Clay sitting on the branch behind him.

"Alright, what do you want from me? I gave you all the Wu. If you didn't find them all, that's your problem."

"No," kimiko sighed, "Blue isn't really your color, by the way."

"I know. I didn't exactly pick it out."

"I've got drinks," they heard Raimundo say from the ground, "Guys?"

"We're up here," Kimiko snickered.

"So, I have to climb a tree with four glasses of punch?"

Clay and Kimiko hung upside-down from the tree and took the drinks from Rai. Kimiko offered a cup to Jack who gently turned her down.

"What're you all doing up here?"Raiasked as he reached the branch beside Kimiko.

"Talking to Jack."

"He's here?"

Jack turned to Rai.

"Boy," Rai chuckled, "You look a lot different without all your girly make-up." Kimiko glared at him.

Jack shrugged, "Yeah. I feel almost naked."

"Thanks for the visual," Kimiko shuddered involuntarily .

"So what are you doing up in a tree, Jack Spicer?" Omi asked.

"Hiding."

"Oh, yes," Omi glowed, "Hiding is your specialty. In times of need, one can truly master their special abilities."

Kimiko smacked Omi upside the head.

"What did I do?"

"Just stop trying to help, Omi."

Jack sighed.

"From what?" Kimiko asked.

"Hm?"

"Who are you hiding from?"

"Them," Jack waved his hand before him at the people gathered below.

"Why?"

"Because I hate them. Why do you care?"

"Don't know, really," Raimundo snickered. Kimiko was about to elbow him, but he flinched and she smacked him in the head.

"D'ya ever plan on coming back to the world of Shen Gong Wu?" Clay asked.

Jack froze, "I, uh… Um… No…"

"You sure?" Kimiko asked gently.

"I wasn't exactly any good at it…" he trailed off.

"Step one to recovery is always admitting your faults," Raimundo explained.

Kimiko was about to hit him when Jack stopped her, "No, he's right."

"What about robots?" she asked.

"I'm over that too."

"Guess things really _have_ changed," Kimiko sighed, a bit disappointed.

"Yeah…"

"But you still have the fly-bot," Raimundo pointed out.

"It's all I have left. It and the goggles. My old clothes are lying in a heap at the bottom of my closet. Sometimes I miss them, sometimes I don't."

"Well, for your information, you looked far better in black than you do in blue," Kimiko smiled.

"That's true," Rai added.

Jack sighed and thought a moment before finally saying, "Why are you here?"

The monks looked nervously amongst themselves.

"Cuz we miss ya'," Clay said suddenly.

"Clay's right," Kimiko added, "We miss having you around as a pest."

Jack scoffed.

"So, since you aren't against us anymore, and you seem to have mellowed out, for now… What I'm saying is… Um… You know… Ugh... Friends?" Kimiko held her hand out to Jack.

Jack turned around fully on his branch, a look of false seriousness smathered on his face, "And what do I, Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, get out of this relationship?"

"Some pretty descent friends," Clay responded.

"Yeah, and you can visit us at the temple anytime you want," Kimiko chimed.

"A chance to fight for good?"

Everyone turned to Omi.

"Omi," Kimiko said gently, "We're befriending him, not converting him."

"Besides," Jack sighed, "I'd rather just stay out of all that good and evil stuff for now," his voice wavered a bit.

"Or you can stay with us if you want…" Kimiko offered, "Your guardian doesn't exactly seem like a verykind person."

"As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer," Jack shrugged, "You have no reason to trust me."

"That's true, too…"

Raimundo was knocked from the tree.

There was an awkward silence.

"How's about we discuss all this over some ice cream?" Clay announced as he turned to Jack, "You owe us a Sunday anyway…"

Jack smiled sheepishly.

"'Kay, but I need to get out of this damn thing first," he said as he tugged at the suit.


	6. Evil

**A/N:** Okay, _this_ is the last. I just need to include some things that I neglected earlier.

1.)**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor claim to own, Xiaolin Showdown. All Characters and Trademarks belong to their respective creators.

2.)**Potential Spoilers:** Seeing as I have no idea where everyone stands in the series, this story entails: **Solid Wuya**, **Chase Young**, and **Hannibal Roy Bean**.

* * *

"Excellent," a voice chuckled, "Things are working out just fine. The Xiaolin warriors'll take Jack in, train him, and then…"

"That's where we come in, right?"

"My dear, I do believe that you are of a far greater intellect than I had once assumed. Once Jack is allowed to train to Wudai status, he'll get the crushing news that he was never a chosen one, therefore, he can reach no higher level. He'll be crushed and turn to us, my dear witch, for guidance."

"And, how do we know that Jack will have the attention span to train all the way to Wudai?"

"All he needs is an incentive. Once he finds out that Chase started the fire that destroyed his life, he will become an enemy of evil. Changing him back, however, won't be nearly as hard as deterring him."

"But Chase didn't…"

"You and I know that, but does Jack?"

"But… If he goes good, then why would he believe us?"

"I have the Moby Morpher, don't I? When the time comes, Jack'll get a little visit from Mommy, telling him all about how Chase Young set his home on fire…"

"But… Jack's parents didn't know about Chase… did they?"

"Indeed not, but a vivid description'll do just fine."

"What if Jack doesn't pick up on it?"

"Oh he will. Mother Dearest'll make sure of that."

Ominous laughter echoed through the barren land. Inside the orb, Wuya watched as the monks took Jack and lead him from the cemetery.

"Oblivious," she grumbled before cackling madly.

"Enough!" Hannibal commanded, "I can't stand it when you think you can laugh when I'm laughing."

"Um, sorry."

"Fine. Now all that's left is the waiting."

"Waiting?" Wuya moaned.

"Do you want to over-throw Chase or not?"

Wuya nodded.

"Then we must wait until the time is upon us to strike against him using our newest puppet."

They cackled once more.

High above them in the dead branches of a nearby tree sat a lonely crow that watched their every move.

"Get rid of me, will they? Well, we'll see about that."


	7. Ice Cream

Jack sat in his old clothes, poking the sundae with a spoon.

"Aren't you gonna have any?" Clay asked.

"Y… Yeah, eventually."

"Well," Kimiko laughed, "You'd better get on it or it'll be all gone by the time you…"

"That's fine," he sighed, "I got it more for you guys anyway."

Kimiko gently leaned her spoon on the rim of the sundae bowl. Clay slowed his voracious eating.

"It's just," Jack's voice shook, "I…" his lip quivered, "I'm so happy just to be with you guys! It's been so long. I almost went insane, wondering what I was missing out on. You guys are probably the only constants in my entire life!"

Jack's tears formed tiny puddles on the table.

"Okay, I can't tell. Is he happy or sad?" Raimundo asked.

"Please take me with you!" he shouted, "I don't want to go back to that… witch!"

"You mean your care-taker? She did seem oddly familiar," Kimiko pondered.

"Yeah, like she tickled the back of your mind. You knew her, but you didn't," Clay mused.

"I don't know," Raimund spoke through a mouth full of ice cream, "Hse just seemed like and old hag to me."

There was a moment of silence before Raimundo laughed, "Nah."

"Anyway, sure you can come with us," Kimiko said.

"Ah, but Master Fung will be most angered by Jack's reappearance at the temple," Omi said 'wisely'.

"We'll, uh…" Kimiko looked at Jack, "It's not like we can hide you…"

"Yeah," Raimundo added, "Omi's right, Fung won't be too pleased to see that we're adopting Jack again."

"Dojo," Kimiko enquired, "What do you think?"

The dragon tore himself away from the ice cream and turned to the monks.

"What do _I_ think? I think it's a bad idea. Jack's no good. Unless you all want to pay for his actions, I'd drop the whole idea."

"Dojo?" Kimiko cut him off, "Jack's right here."

Jack's face was on fire.

"Well, what if we can come up with a way for Jack to earn his right to stay at the temple with us," they all turned to Clay, "Like an honor system or something."

"Yeah," Kimiko Chimed, "Let's run that by Master Fung. Jack, we'll get back to you on that in a few days."

"A few days! I don't even think I can survive one more!"

"Well, try. We'll work our Wudai magic on Fung and guilt him into taking you in," Kimiko laughed.

"It will be most difficult to persuade Master Fung into allowing Jack to stay with us. Therefore, I will do the persuading," Omi announced.

Jack's eyes bulged, "I'm doomed!" he bellowed.

"No, Omi, I think that in this very unique instance, your skills of persuasion will not be required," Kimiko said.

"Okay, but I believe that you are making a big mistake in not soliciting my expertise…"

"No, I think they made the right decision," Jack said nervously.

"Then it's agreed," Kimiko began, "Clay, Rai, and I will work on Master Fung while Omi… uh… Omi…"

"Stays out of the picture?" Rai suggested.

"No, while Omi continues doing his chores so that Master Fung will remain in a good disposition," Kimiko finished.

"Ah," Omi began, "I see. You have entrusted me with the very important task of keeping Master Fung in a good mood. I will not let you down!"

Clay chuckled a bit, "We know you won't little partner."

"Now that that's out of the way, you gonna eat any of this ice cream Jack?" Kimiko turned to him.

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "I think I will."


	8. It Isn't Over Yet

Things were finally looking up for Jack. Upon leaving the ice cream parlor, the monks had entrusted him with his favorite Wu. Out in the back yard of his mid-home, Jack hung from a tree by his tail. It felt good to be a carefree monkey again. Nothing but bananas and tire swings occupying his mind.

"Jack!" the shrill voice carried across the yard.

Jack looked up at his red-haired 'mother.'

"Yeah?" he groaned.

"What are you doing! People can see you out there! It's bad enough that the neighbors know you exist! Get in here this instant!"

It was lucky for Jack that she had failed to notice his extra appendage.

"Or what?" he questioned as he dropped from the tree.

"Or there'll be no food for the rest of the week!"

Jack laughed, "Don't you mean dinner?"

"I said what I meant, Jack. Now get in here!"

Jack sneered as she went back into the house.

"Evil witch," he snarled. At that instant, he actually missed Wuya. With a growl, he shook the idea of Shen Gong Wu from his mind.

Jack apparently hadn't moved fast enough, for there was no lunch, nor any dinner for him.

"Freak," he growled up in his room as he listened to the party down stairs, "She'll forget about it in the morning."

But she didn't.

"You know, Jack, it's all your fault that they're dead."

Jack looked across the breakfast table.

"That whole 'leak-behind-the-stove' thing was my mild alteration of the truth. You and I know what really happened. You were in with the wrong crowd and your parents paid for it. Now you get to go on with your miserable, useless life, while they rot in their graves."

"Who are you?" Jack whimpered.

"The only person who cared enough about you to take you in."

"What about my grandmother?"

"Oh, didn't you hear?" she said matter-of-factly, "Your grammy's dead too."

Jack's eyes widened.

"Don't know how you missed that one. She died in a house fire, just like your parents."

"No…"

"Guess you were too lost in self-pity to realize how great of a loss you've truly suffered."

The woman finished her breakfast and shoved the empty plate at Jack, "You can have what's left."

Jack stared at the empty plate. Yeah, he knew it was his fault. Chase had said something about making him pay for his insolence. He figured that this was it. He was crushed. But… The Xiaolin warriors had been there for him. How strange? He never really thought that they had ever given a damn about him. Now he wanted to go with them and make them proud to have him as a friend. Jack contemplated the word 'friend' a few moments before questioning the intent of the young monks.

_They think I'm vulnerable,_ he thought,_ they think that I'll go bad for real… What if they're just looking out for themselves... Or maybe they just want to get rid of me in their own fashion. I'm too tired to be evil… or good. I just want to be Jack._

He figured that at the temple, he'd at least free of these psychological barrages. His mind was already set to fall apart. He wanted to tell them how much he appreciated their friendship, how far he'd go to make sure that he still had his only four friends.

_But what if they aren't really my friends… What if they're just humoring me…_

"I hope not," he sighed as he stood up and took the plate into the kitchen.


	9. Wuya

**A/N:** I'm so glad you like it, Bakubear! Yay! I made a good fic! Not that I'm anywhere near done with it. Something can still go drastically wrong...

* * *

"Anything to report?" Hannibal said from Ying-Ying's back.

"Nope, everything's going according to plan," Wuya informed as she sat beside him on the ground.

"I'm most surprised that Chase has yet to try anything. I was expecting him to pick up on this earlier."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"No, it may not be. It would be better if Chase reacted sooner than waited, for us at least."

"Chase isn't stupid," Wuya informed.

"Yes, but I hardly think he thinks that our little Jack poses much of a threat. But he will, in time. By the way, how _is _our little charge doing?"

"I confiscated a switch-blade from his room; I think he's ready to move on.. I've already messed with him quite a bit, you know," Wuya smiled as she examined her fingernails.

"Not too badly, now. We need him in one mental piece."

"I know, but it's so fun pushing him to the edge."

"Indeed, just don't push him over. We need him to join the Xiaolin Temple in order for our plan to work."

"So, about Chase, how do you plan on keeping him guessing?"

"That's none of your concern. Just keep doing your part and everything'll be alright."

"Sure thing, but…"

"Is there a question as to what you should be doing?"

"What should I do when the Xiaolin fools arrive?"

"Don't fight them. Don't even look at them. In fact, let Jack think he's running away, if the scenario allows. Play into it a bit. Send out some flyers, just to keep him guessing. It'll be an easy test for his loyalties."

" 'Loyalties'?"

"Yes, what he'd do to stay at the Xiaolin Temple. What kind of… evils he would commit…"

"Ah, so I should arrange a search party?"

"When the time comes, yes. Make sure they find him, too. I know what kind of destruction he can commit."

"Okay, we _are_ talking about the same Jack, right?"

"I'm talking about a Jack you've never seen."

"You mean a different side of Jack?"

"Quite perceptive, aren't we? Anger. That is the best tool for evil. We need to push him just a little bit further before even the Xiaolin will fear him. This will take time. The longer, the better. The more time Jack has to train and prove himself, the closer to true evil he will become."

"Still talking about Jack Spicer, right?"

Hannibal growled at Wuya.

"Don't you have some mental damage to be doing?" he sneered.

"Right. Moby Morpher!"

As the Shen Gong Wu came apart, the tall red-haired form of Jack's caretaker stood before Hannibal Bean.

"Not much of an improvement, really," he mumbled.

"Well, I'm off to send Jack to the Xiaolin side."

"Good. Tomorrow night they'll show up to get him. Make your concern as convincing as possible."

"You've got it, Hannibal!"


	10. An Object of Rage

It was the next night and Wuya was sitting down in the parlor wondering how she should handle the arrival of the Xiaolin warriors. What would be the best way to send Jack off with one last wound in the heart?

A wicked grin crossed her thin lips.

It was late. Jack was sitting on the edge of his bed, hoping that this would be the night that the Xiaolin monks would come for him. He wanted, no, needed to get away from this place as soon as possible. He wondered what that witch downstairs would do to him if she caught him trying to get away.

"I can't take this anymore," he stood up from his bed and walked over to his window. It was locked so that it could only open part of the way. Jack opened it as much as possible.

It was so humid out, but Jack refused to leave his old clothes. He would wear them until he was free. Jack turned and leaned his back against the window. His face was burning with despair, when he heard a tiny click against the glass window. Jack turned and looked down into the bushes below. The darkness concealed everything.

"Pst," one of the bushes rustled.

"Um… Hello?" Jack said to the ground below.

"It's us," Kimiko poked her head out of the bush.

"We're here to bust you out," Rai appeared next to her.

"Ah, yeah, but I can't open the window any wider so I can't exactly climb out…"

"No problem," Rai shrugged, "Changing Chopsticks!"

Rai shrunk beneath the bush.

"Great idea, but how are you gonna get up here?"

A mini dojo flew up to the window and allowed Rai to walk off his back, through the screen in the window.

"Changing Chopsticks!" Rai repeated with his tiny voice, "Now, let's get you out of here."

"Jack?"

"The witch!" Jack hissed.

"Who's up there with you?"

"Shh," Rai commanded.

"Jack?"

"Don't answer, let's just get out of here…"

"Jack?" the voice was stern and cold, "What are you doing?"

"N…Nothing," he whimpered.

"Jack!" Rai hissed, "Let's go."

Just as Rai grabbed Jack's arm, the bedroom door flew open.

"Who is this, Jack? Oh, I remember you, You're one of Jack's," she snickered, "'Friends'." She cackled, "And what might you be doing here? Come to take Jack away? I think not. The whelp's mine."

"Some motherly instincts you've got," Rai snickered.

"Indeed," Wuya growled, "Now, let go of him and leave!"

Rai pretended to think, "Nah. I didn't come all this way to leave empty handed. Changing Chopsticks!"

Rai and Jack shrunk onto the windowsill.

"Clever," Wuya chuckled, "But not good enough. Moby Morpher!"

In a flash, Wuya revealed her true self.

"Wuya!" Jack bellowed.

"I knew you were too stupid to see the resemblance. And now Jack," she reached out and picked Jack off the windowsill, "I'm going to do to you what I've wanted to do for ages. Squeeze the pathetic life out of you!"

Wuya held Jack in her hand and squeezed him tightly.

"Let go of him!" Raimundo's tiny voice barely reached Wuya's ears.

"Or what?"

"Or, Changing Chopsticks!" Raimundo returned to his normal size and whistled out the window.

With a loud crash, Omi, Kim, and Clay burst into the room, knocking the wall to pieces. Dojo followed rather slowly.

"Hah! You think that scares me?"

"Well it should!" Kimiko snarled, "Judolette Flip-Fire!"

As Wuya was knocked to the ground, Jack slipped from her fingers and landed in a tiny ball on the floor.

"Remember, hag, you have no powers!" Rai taunted.

Wuya growled.

Rai snickered as he used the Changing Chopsticks to return Jack to his normal size. Jack bounced to his feet, seemingly unharmed.

"I may not have powers, but I do have this! Moby Morpher!"

With a bright flash, two Jacks stood in the room.

"That's easy," Rai shrugged, "The one on the left."

"Oh? Well, let's try this!"

Wuya slammed her fist into the wall. Drywall dust filled the air. The warriors were forced to cover their eyes, but they did hear some shuffling. When the dust settled, the two Jacks were locked in futile combat.

"Okay," Rai mumbled, "I'm stumped."

One on the bottom, the other on the top, both struggled with each other's arms.

"Little help here," the one on the bottom growled.

"Don't just stand there, help me!" the one on top winced.

There was some kicking and flailing as they shifted positions.

"Please, you guys gotta help me!" the one that was now on top was nearly in tears.

"I'm not that much of a wuss!" the one on the bottom screeched.

Both reached out and bit the other's arm. They both screeched in Jack's trademarked girly scream. There was some more fighting. Now they were on their knees looking into each other's eyes.

"You aren't me," the one to the right growled.

"Don't listen! Please don't listen!" the one on the right wept.

"I'm lost, but right now, there's only one thing that I am sure of," the Jack on the right got on his back and kicked the other Jack in the ribs, sending him flying into the opposite wall, "You can't be me!"

The whimpering Jack slid to the floor and the fury of the four dragons turned to the Jack that was just getting to his feet. The standing Jack caressed his head and messaged it as if he had a headache.

"No foolin' us now," Clay announced, "you're Wuya!"

"No, really you guys, it's me!"

"No way. Jack can't bust a move like that," Rai snickered.

"I didn't know I could either…" Jack stammered.

"Nice try," Omi said, "But you should prepare yourself for a most humiliating defeat. Tornado Strike-Water!"

The Jack before them went sprawling to the floor.

"No really you guys," he spat, "It's me!"

"You must think were dumber than a possum at the racing track!"

"Whu-?"

Jack was cut off by Clay's Seismic Kick.

As the dragons continued beating up their Jack, the one in the corner snickered and crawled away. As he reached the door, Rai caught him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Um… downstairs?"

"Don't bother, we're almost done he-"

"Moby Morpher!"

The Jack in the door shifted into Wuya and vanished from the house.

"Guys!" Rai screamed, "Stop it! That's really Jack!"

"Whatcha mean, partner?" Clay said as he stood up.

"I just watched the other one turn back into Wuya and run off…"

Omi and Kimiko halted their attacks and looked down at what remained of Jack Spicer. He laid there nearly lifeless. A long, thick string of blood dribbled from his mouth and down his cheek, pooling on the floor beside his head. He twitched slightly and all the blood in his mouth poured over his lips and onto the floor. His nose was off to one side and his eyes were barely open. The blood stood out like red lace on a white canvas. His clothes were almost entirely ripped to shreds.

"Oh my god, you guys," Kimiko shook, "Did we… kill him?"

Tiny Omi walked over to the still body and rested his head on Jack's chest.

"No," Omi informed, "But he is barely still alive."

"Well I feel worse'n a fish dropped out in the desert."

"Me too," Kimiko's voice creaked.

"Dojo!" Rai turned around, "Where were you in all this?"

Dojo popped up in the opening in the wall holding Kimiko's PDA, "Checking my stocks. Why? Did I miss something?"

"You missed a most shameful battle," Omi informed the dragon.

"Oh," Dojo cringed when he saw Jack's body lying between the warriors, "I see you tore Jack Spicer to pieces. I thought the plan was to take him back to the temple?"

"It was," Rai mumbled, "And it still is."

Rai bent down and lifted Jack onto his shoulder, "Let's go."

The young monks solemnly mounted Dojo. Rai sat at the back holding Jack up in his arms.

Kimiko turned to find Rai holding Jack's lifeless body as his legs dangled limply over the side of the dragon.

"Hold him tight, 'Kay Rai?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure thing."

* * *

**A/N:** Please review if you get this far. I really need some progress reports. This is the first fic that I've ever really worked on, so I'd like to know how I'm doing. Thanks to everyone who does read and review! But as a reminder, I do not play the hostage chapter game, but a few more comments would help in my drive to write more faster. So if you like say so!


	11. Wuya Messed Up

"Do you have something that you'd wish to explain to me?" Hannibal mumbled angrily.

"Well, yes, you see… I uh…"

"ALMOST GOT JACK SPICER KILLED! I don't think you recall my saying that he was to be left alive…"

"I… I do! It's just that…"

"What? What possessed you to jeopardize my plan?"

"I wanted to make him hurt…"

"Well you did and by the looks of things, he's out of the game for a while. This only lengthens our waiting time. Give me the Moby Morpher."

"No, you see… I…"

"That was a command, not a request!"

Wuya reluctantly shed the Wu from her arms.

"No more Shen Gong Wu for a month. And you're not getting off with good behavior so don't even bother."

"Listen, Hannibal, I can make it up to you…"

"We'll have to move ahead with things. I'll use the Moby Morpher and the Shadow of Fear to get into Jack's head and explain the situation to him."

"But… won't he recognize you?"

"That's it. You're on bathroom detail for the rest of the week… THAT'S WHAT THE MOBY MORPHER'S FOR!"

"I see…" Wuya mumbled, "How deliciously evil…"

"What ever possessed me to take you in in the first place?"

"My charming attitude and dashing good looks?"

"You've got none of those…" the bean paused a moment, "Get to work on that little search party of ours," Hannibal commanded.

"But, he knows that it's me…"

"Indeed," Hannibal thought a moment, "He does, but no one else but the monks does. To everyone else he'll seem like an ungrateful brat calling his only caretaker a witch. He'll be ridiculed, thus furthering his level of anger. By what I've seen thus far, that boy has no idea what he can do…"

"What do you mean?"

"Wuya, my dear, simple-minded witch, I watched that teenaged boy throw you across a room…"

"It was a very small room…"

"For a boy that cries to a mama for a paper-cut, Jack can really handle the big stuff. He did most impressively today. I can't wait to see him spill some blood…"

Hannibal's laughter unnerved even Wuya who simply chuckled nervously.

Chase's crow watched patiently as their conversation went on.

"So they plan to move on Spicer. That's nice. But my time hasn't come yet. When it does, that fool-hearty bean and his pathetic witch will suffer greatly."

Light laughter came from Chase's lips as he scratched one of his cats gently behind the ears.

"And they won't even know what hit them…"


	12. Omi Explains it All

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Dojo landed back at the temple.

After checking in with Master Fung, the dragons took Jack to the spare sleeping quarters. Lying him down softly, Rai sighed.

"He'll be okay," Kimiko assured him as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"No, it's not that…"

"So… What is it?"

"I don't know. Guess I'm just tired. We all got almost no sleep last night…"

"Yeah," Clay began, "The last thing I think we expected to be doing was fighting Wuya."

"Yeah, what a coward! She crawled off like… uh…"

"A greased rattle snake?"

"Yeah, a greased rattle snake!" Rai finished with a nod.

"Do you know what bothers me most?"

Kimiko turned to Omi and rolled her eyes, "What, Omi?"

"Did you see what Jack did?"

"What? He bucked Wuya across an entire room!" Rai laughed, "Her pride must be shattered! Her butt got kicked by Jack Spicer!"

There was some light laughter before Omi continued, "Yes, but did any of you know that he had so much strength?"

There was a silence during which the young monks looked amongst themselves.

"I reckon we didn't," Clay answered as he tapped the brim of his hat.

"His physical composition suggests that at the most he could have done was knock Wuya off balance…"

"Whoa, hold on there, little partner. Big words there. You mean that there is no way that Jack is physically capable of doing what he did?"

Kimiko looked down at Jack, "He is a bit scrawny. I guess it's a bit weird…"

Rai yawned, "Let us further explor the physical capabilities of Jack Spicer at a later date, shall we?"

"Yeah," Kimiko sighed.

"I think it's time that we all hit the hay," Clay mumbled.

"Indeed," Omi mumbled as he took one last glance at Jack. Something Just didn't seem right about him and it bothered Omi that he couldn't figure out what…


	13. Dream

In his unconsciousness, Jack's mind wandered.

He was standing in a cobble stone square. Dark shrouded people were all around him, their heads bent low as if in mourning. A cold breeze blew through Jack's core and he folded his arms for warmth. When he looked down, he saw that he was wearing a pair of green Converses, khaki shorts, and a red polo shirt. On his head was a baseball cap but when he took it off, there were words on it, but he couldn't read them.

When he looked back up, he saw a lone white figure wading through the see of black forms.

"Hey!" Jack called out to it, but the figure didn't respond.

Jack cleared his throat and tried again, "Hello?"

A pang of fear shot through his body. What was that noise? What that his voice? It sounded so weak and frail.

"Jack?" the ethereal voice met his ears, "Where are you baby?" it was frantic.

"I'm here!" he called.

The white figure turned to him.

"There you are! Don't you ever run off like that again! I was worried sick about you!" The figure shoved it's way through the crowd of black shrouds, "I was so worried," it wept as it took Jack's tiny body up in its arms.

That smell… apples… His mother had always smelled like apples…

"Mom?" he breathed.

"Yes, Jacky, it's Momma! And don't you ever run off like that again!"

His face was on fire. Tears dribbled down his cheeks, lightly darkening his mother's robe.

"But how?" hiss tiny voice cried, "You're dead…"

"Out there I am, but in your heart, I am not. Everything is alright now that I've finally found you."

"Oh, Mom," Jack sighed as he let his eyes close gently.

When next he opened them, he was standing in a world lit by a terrible fire in the sky. Everything was charred; the trees, the earth…

Jack looked down at himself once more. He was wearing his old black outfit again, but the bare flesh of his hands was covered in lacerations from the fire. He moaned slightly as the heat took hold of him.

"Jack…" it was a pathetic voice.

"Mom?"

Jack turned behind himself. Lying on the ground, clawing at the ground, was the charred form of his mother."

"MOM!" he screeched as he ran to her side.

"It hurts…" she whispered.

"I… I know. How can I stop it?"

"Make the pain go away…"

"How?" he cried.

"Get back at him…"

"What?"

"Revenge! Please Jack, make him pay for this pain he's caused me…"

Jack looked into his mother's cloudy eyes. In their wet reflection, he saw his own distorted face. His red eyes were small with vertical pupils. On the left side of his face, where he had always added a slight curve to his make-up, there was a maze of black lines. At first it looked geometric, but when he looked deeper into his mother's eyes, he saw faces in the marks, screaming faces. He screamed and turned away.

"Who," he wept, "Who do I have to make suffer?"

"A strong man…" she wheezed, "Not tall, but muscular…" Jack's mind raced, "He had eyes… Terrible eyes that glowed even in the fire… His tiny pupils looked like a snake's eyes… I was going to get you…" Jack's heart was beating uncontrollably, "Long… black hair… he said he was repaying a favor… Oh Jack, I was going to get you…"

"Chase…" he growled.

"I was going to get you…"

"Shh," he put his finger on her lips, but it was a sharp claw that landed there instead, "What's happening to me?" he cried.

"Please make him pay for our suffering… It was you that I was looking for…"

"No," he cried as her eyes shut on him.

Jack clenched his hands into fists as he starred helplessly at his mother's body.

"It's my fault. I promise, no matter what… I'll find a way to make Chase pay…"

The anger rose in his body. With a violent roar, Jack lifted one of his fists and slammed it into his mother's body. The charred remains fell apart into flakes of dust that soaked into Jack's black clothes.

"I won't let you down…" he wept, "I promise…"

* * *

**A/N:** BTW, today's word of the day on google was germaine - "appropriate or fitting; relevant". I just thought that that was pretty funny... (you know... like Jermaine? Tell me if I'm stretching it too much...) 


	14. A Healthy Regement

"Bravo," Wuya smiled as she clapped her hands, "Very nice."

"I'd call that one of my best works yet," Hannibal laughed.

"Indeed. He seemed so ready to throw his life away…"

"Now, Wuya, let's remember that that was just a subconscious message. It'll nag him in the back of his mind until his goal of destroying Chase is reached…"

"But Jack could never kill Chase! If Omi or the other Xiaolin dragons can't kill him, Jack sure can't."

"Yes, but you see, Chase has some interest in the Xiaolin monks, especially Omi. He has no interest in Jack, however, so if Jack goes all out evil, which I have already arranged for, Chase will have an eternal enemy. He'll spend the ages fighting our little puppet while you and I, my dear, assume our rightful places as rulers of the world."

Wuya laughed hysterically, "Jack would need some massive caffeine boost to give him that kind of stamina…"

Hannibal shook his head, "No, just a healthy dosage of the following:

"One: Rigorous Xiaolin training

"Two: An ego boost from his friends

"Three: Disappointment and rejection in knowing that he can never be a full-fledged Xiaolin Dragon

"And: Four: A nice bowl of Lao-Mang-Lon Soup to ease his restless soul…"

"Oh, that's… uh… Are you sure about creating two Chases?"

"Jack can never be Chase. Chase was a mistake on my part. Besides, with the hatred for him that we will soon engrain, he'll fight that pussy lovin' Chase for the rest of eternity."

"But… What if he finds out about us? He could team up with Chase and destroy us…"

"Find out, perhaps, but teaming up with Chase will be impossible. I've made some modifications to the potion. After Chase trapped me in the Ying-Yang World, I had time to think. A whole dragon bestows courage and knowledge, hence leading to self-will. Reduce the serving of dragon, to simple dragon scales, and obedience is built in.

"You see, Jack won't be a free spirit like Chase, he'll be mine so long as he consumes the potion once a day."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He'll be destroyed. But let's not worry about that right now. I do believe our dear Jack is just waking up from his slumber. He'll be most excited to start his training…"

Wicked laughter filled the air.

Wuya stepped back a bit and chewed on her pristine fingernails. She was beginning to question her loyalties to this psychotic fruit…


	15. Master Fung

Slowly, his mind crept back to reality. His mind told him to open his eyes, but his lids weighed too much. With a light moan, they shot open just long enough for him to see where he was before falling shut again. He was on the floor… On his back… Staring up at wooden rafters. He forced his eyes open again. Next to him was a curtain, at his feet was another curtain that was opened slightly. He lifted his heavy head and looked through the crack in the curtain and straight out through a window into the temple courtyard.

"Shhh…" He hissed as he let his head lie down again.

He had to get up, but he couldn't. His muscles were too stiff and swollen. And then he remembered. The Xiaolin freaks had beaten the shit out of him. With a vile hiss, he sat up violently. His head hurt so badly, the world flew around him.

"Ouch…" He whimpered.

"Jack?" he heard a female voice call.

"No Mommy!" he screamed.

When the curtain opened, Kimiko stood before him.

"What did you say?"

"Oh… N… Nothing…" his voice was as stiff as his muscles.

Kimiko cringed, "Good."

"Where…"

"In the temple. You're safe…"

"Wuya?"

"Gone. About that," Kimiko grimaced, "We're really sorry… About… Kicking your butt. It was kinda excessive even if it _had_ been Wuya…"

"But it wasn't!" He moaned, "My head hurts…"

"Well, you were only out for about a day…"

"Ugh," Jack looked down at his leg, "It's all crooked…"

"Yeah," Kimiko winced, "We kinda broke your leg…"

"Lovely!" Jack shouted, throwing his hands into the air, "How am I going to earn my keep now?"

"When your leg is better…"

"In six weeks!" he shouted.

Kimiko pinched her nose, "Master Fung wanted to see you when you woke up. While you're up, I'll get someone to wrap your leg."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Help me up then."

He reached out to her with his weak arms. Kimiko rolled her eyes and grasped Jack's outstretched hands. Using herself as leverage, Jack struggled to his feet. In the corner of his quarters he spotted the Monkey Staff. Reaching out, he took it in his hand and used it as a cane.

"Follow me."

Kimiko lead Jack into the vault room where Master Fung and the other monks meditated.

"Master Fung?" Kimiko said delicately, "Jack's awake."

"I know, leave us now, Kimiko."

With a slight bow, Kimiko left the room. Jack stood nervously in the doorway.

"Umm…" Jack tugged at his collar.

"Jack Spicer," the voice boomed in his ears, "Why are you here?"

"I… Um… Because… I… Uh… I was invited?"

Master Fung stood up, "Why did you decide to come? Are you here to deceive us once more?"

"I…" What could he say? The truth couldn't hurt too much, "Wanted to feel safe…"

"And you think that this is a safe place for you?"

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you?"

"I have no intentions of causing you harm. But you are at a severe disadvantage here. I have been informed by my students that you wish to endure training here at the temple, is this true?"

"Y-Yes…" Jack bowed his head slightly.

"What about evil?"

"I-I just need to… get back in control of my life…"

"I see. And you think that martial skills will help you do that?"

"I-I hope so…"

Master Fung sat down again.

"I will not train you, Jack."

A pang of fear shot through his body.

Chase… 

"You have to!"

"And why is that?" Master Fung looked over his shoulder.

"I…"

"Why Jack? You are not a Chosen One. Training you will be very difficult on both you and myself."

"I…" Jack felt the tears in his eyes, "I want to fit in somewhere…"

"This is not a club, Jack."

"I can do it, I promise…"

"Then you must do two things," Master Fung stood up once more, this time the other monks stood up, "Prove your worthiness by fighting for the Xiaolin Temple in the name of good and swear your unwavering loyalty to us."

Jack blinked stupidly, "How can I prove myself? I'll do anything!"

"I have given it much thought. You shall retrieve five Shen Gong Wu in the name of the temple. Two of which must be retrieved through Showdowns."

Jack swallowed hard, "I-I really didn't want to have anything to do with Shen Gong Wu anymore…"

"You are holding one right now. Your life is too intertwined in the balance of good and evil and the hunt for the Shen Gong Wu for you to simply walk away from it."

"But…"

"If you do not do this, you must find housing somewhere else. This temple does not support free-loaders."

Jack was silent.

"I'll make you proud," he whispered with a slight bow.

"What did you-"

When Master Fung turned around in shock, Jack was gone.


	16. The Rod of Asclepius

"I've got a live one!" Dojo bellowed as he slithered across the ground, bumping into Jack's leg.

"What is it?"

"It's the Rod of Asclepius."

"What's it do?"

"Where are the others? I only want to say this once…"

Jack scoffed, "Training."

"Well let's go get them."

Dojo slithered off while Jack hobbled after him.

"Guys, guys! Hold it!"

"What is it, Dojo?" Rai asked, putting his sparing stick down.

"It's a cool Shen Gong Wu called the Rod of Asclepius."

"What's it do?"

"It's a working caduceus. It can heal almost any kind of non-mortal wounds."

The monks watched as one little cartoon character sat with a twisted leg. Another approached him and used the staff on his leg, making it stick out straight. The first character jumped to his feet and threw his hands in the air.

"Hey, I could fix my leg with that!" Jack laughed.

"How timely," Dojo muttered

"We'll get this one, Jack," Kimiko said softly, "You can use it to fix your leg and then work on Master Fung's task. 'Kay?"

Jack sighed, "Yeah."

"Alright then," Dojo said as he closed the scroll, "Let's go!"

As the monks mounted Dojo's back, Jack stood by pitifully.

"Can I at least come?"

The monks looked amongst each other.

"What harm can he do?" Clay noted.

"Oh alright," Rai mumbled.

"Hop on!" Kimiko laughed.

Jack struggled onto Dojo's back and they were off.


	17. Jack vs Katnappe

Jack stood at Dojo's side while the others ran through the forest searching for the Rod of Asclepius.

"So, who was this Asclepius guy?"

"He was some Greek god of healing and medicine," Dojo informed.

"Okay," Jack put a finger to his lips in thought "I hope they get it," he mumbled.

Jack and Dojo watched as the others scrambled up and down trees, flipped rocks, and talked to forest creatures. Jack rolled his eyes. As he did so, he saw something up in a nearby tree.

"Hey, guys!" he shouted, "Up that tree," he pointed.

"Why thank you Jack," a voice behind him said.

Jack spun around on his good leg, "Katnappè! What are you doing here?"

"Wuya's paying me double time, just for this Shen Gong Wu."

"It's not like you need it," he scoffed.

"Yeah, but you do," she said mockingly, "Kitties," she called, "Rip Jack up a bit."

Tiny furry kittens jumped out of Katnappè's pack and lunged at Jack. With a shrill scream, Jack was sent to the ground.

"I hate cats!" he shouted.

"Too bad, Jack," she giggled as she started climbing the tree.

"Guys!" Jack called, "Hurry! Katnappè's after it too!"

"We'll be right there!" he heard Clay call.

After Jack had thrown the last kitten from his body he turned to Dojo.

"Looks like this one's yours," the dragon said coyly.

"Monkey Staff!"

Jack turned into a monkey and raced up the tree.

"Where's Jack, Dojo?" Kimiko asked when they finally made it back.

Dojo pointed up the tree.

"Oh, no," Kimiko sighed.

"We're doomed," Rai moaned.

"We're not, Jack is," Clay informed.

"That is true," Omi said, "If Jack does not get the Rod of Asclepius, then he will have to wait for his leg to heal naturally."

Dojo hemmed and hawed a bit, "I think he'll get it."

The dragons turned in shock to Dojo.

"I wouldn't be putting him down so early in the game," he explained, "I feel slightly intimidated when I'm around him…"

Eight eyes bulged.

"You?" Kimiko laughed, "Afraid of Jack?"

Dojo shrugged, "He seems a little creepy lately."

"Creepier than normal?" Clay asked.

"Yeah. Like strong creepy…"

Rai rolled his eyes, "Should we be worried?" he humored.

"Maybe," Dojo said with all seriousness.

"I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown, Katnappè!"

Kimiko ran a hand down her face at the sound of Jack's voice, "This is it."

"Mmhm," Clay nodded.

"My Monkey Staff against your Third Arm Sash!"

"Fine!" Katnappè hissed, "But beating you won't even be a challenge."

"Can it Ashley! First one to the top of that big tree over there wins!"

Katnappè laughed, "You're talking to a cat here, climbing is my fortè!"

"Shut up and let's do this!"

"Xiaolin Showdown!" they shouted together.

The earth began to shake. All the trees crumbled into the earth, leaving one humongous monster standing. The massive tree grew higher into the sky until it came to an abrupt halt. Thick clouds filled the sky. The leaves on the tree became tiny green razors. Jack and Katnappe stood at the bottom.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!"

And they were off.

"Monkey Staff!"

Jack shifted into a monkey as Katnappe was already tackling the tree.

The Wudai warriors stood on a floating rock in their blue armor, watching Jack actually put up a fight.

"Look at him go!" Rai noted.

"You'd think he was after some bananas or something," Kimiko said.

"He's movin' faster 'n a Jackrabbit on a hot skillet!"

Dojo squinted in disgust, "That was a very sad pun, Clay."

"Look!" Omi shouted.

Jack was suddenly in the lead. With a hiss, katnappe used the Third Arm Sash to reach up to a branch that was ahead of Jack.

"Later, Loser," she called as she glided up ahead of Jack, giving him the famed 'loser' symbol.

Jack growled. Slamming his fist into the tree, the entire trunk shook. Katnappe momentarily lost her balance and fell down a branch.

The Xiaolin warriors looked on in amazement.

"How'd he do that?" Rai said in astonishment.

"Looks like he's a lot stronger than we all think," Clay said nervously.

Jack's face was hot with anger. He whimpered a bit as the searing pain in his leg became nearly overwhelming. He pounded the tree again with his fist in disgust and wound up knocking Katnappe down another branch.

"Stop it, you loser," she yelled down to him.

"No!"

Jack let out a monkey screech and in a flash, was behind Katnappe in her shadow.

"Wha-"

She was too slow. Jack grabbed the tail of her costume and tore her from the tree. Katnappe plummeted until her claws finally caught hold of a branch. Jack looked down at her with a wicked grin.

"Later, Loser," he mocked as he scrambled up the tree.

"Third Arm Sash!"

The blue sash reached up and wrapped itself around Jack's monkey tail. With a screech, he momentarily let go of the staff. His tail vanished and the sash sank lifelessly down to Katnappe pulling her down from the tree.

"Monkey Staff!" Jack called as he took the staff up once more.

He wasn't far from the top, but he needed the tail to take the stress off of his leg.

"Looks like I've won, Katnappe!" Jack said as he mounted the top of the tree and Katnappe fell to the gorund.

"Huh?" she looked up miserably into Jack's violent red eyes; they were so far up, but they were so bright and malicious.

Jack took the Rod in his hands and the Showdown came to an end. Katnappe landed gently on the ground. Jack stood above her, looking down at her.

"Jack!" The dragons called.

"You did it!" Kimiko shouted.

"Yeah, even with a busted leg, you still managed to kick Katnappe's butt, big time!" Rai said as he patted him on the back.

"Well," Jack blushed as he looked down at Katnappe once more.

The teenaged girl cowered away in fear. Those eyes were so viscious…

_That can't be Jack…_ her mind struggled to comprehend her defeat, _That was some kind of monster…_

"What's her problem?" Rai laughed.

"Don't know," Jack laughed, "but I want to go back to the temple and fix my leg. Do you think Master Fung'll let this count towards my task?"

"Why not?" Kimiko said, "You won the Shen Gong Wu all on your own."

"Fair and square," Clay added.

"Yes," Omi began, "But I am most curious, what do you call that move you used?"

"Move?" Jack chuckled, "I don't know any moves."

"The one you used to become Katnappe's shadow…"

"I… That wasn't a move," he chuckled, "It just… Kinda happened…"

"Indeed," Omi said in an ominous tone.

"Omi, give him a break," Kimiko sighed, "He won the Wu. Now let's just get out of here."

Dojo became large again. All of the warriors and Jack mounted his back before he took off into the sky and soared back to the temple.


	18. Jack's On His Own

After fixing his leg, Jack became a viable opponent to anyone who opposed him. There were times when his strength was almost fearsome.

In a row, Jack retrieved three more Shen Gong Wu. That only left one more to be won in a Showdown.

Master Fung never seemed pleased with Jack's performance. The red head had taken to standing behind the warriors and mimicking their moves in an attempt to learn the sacred martial art, but without a teacher, Jack had a lot of trouble. Whenever the young monks violated Master Fung's order not to teach Jack moves, they were punished with two days' worth of chores to be done in twelve hours. Jack was furious with this and one day decided to challenge the authority.

"Why are you here, Jack?" Master Fung said with closed eyes.

"Stop punishing them!" he yelled.

"And who would 'them' be?"

"The others! They just want to help me. Don't punish them for having pity on me!"

"No, you are right. Therefore, I will punish you for attempting to learn our art without our permission."

"But…"

"Jack Spicer, you may not go on any Shen Gong Wu retrieval missions until I say otherwise…"

"But…"

"You must learn humility before I allow you to attempt entry to this temple's ways."

Jack visibly slumped.

"Yes Master Fung," he wheezed.

It was a week before Master Fung got back to Jack on his punishment. In that time, Jack had learned how to cook and clean very well and the warriors had won every Shen Gong Wu that had activated. Jack felt more than worthless.

"Perhaps, if you'd like, I'd allow you to stay as a sort of maid. How does that sound?" Master Fung asked incredulously.

"No. I want to be a warrior like them," Jack said as he chopped some carrots.

"Then prove your worth," Master Fung said as he walked out of the kitchen.

"You mean…"

Jack turned and he was gone.

Jack returned to his work when Dojo slithered into the room.

"A new Shen Gong Wu has activated," he said flatly.

"So?"

"Master Fung told me that only you could go after this one."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but the stakes are high. You kinda _have_ to get this one, or you're booted from the temple."

"What!"

"I know. The old guy's tough with you. So what do you say? You could always forfeit…"

"Can the others come with me?"

Dojo shook his head solemnly.

"Afraid not, kid. You're completely on your own with this one."

Jack felt a shiver run through his entire body.

"It's called the Walkachoo Wall."

Jack watched the pictorial demonstration as Dojo explained.

"It allows the user to strike up a solid, indestructible wall in front of their opponent. Hence halting their retreat or advancement."

"Interesting," Jack rubbed his chin.

"So?"

"I'm in. Let's go!"

* * *

**A/N:**This one's written kinda poorly for some reason. I just didn't like the flow, but I put it up anyway... Please tell me if it really sucks. 


	19. Jack vs Wuya

Jack clung on to Dojo's back for his dear life. The undulating motion wasn't doing too well for his stomach.

"Dojo…" he wavered, "I'm gonna puke…"

"Pleas puke over the sides, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind."

Jack leaned over Dojo's side and puked

"Very nice," Dojo muttered.

"Are we there yet?" Jack quaked.

"We're close…"

"My stomach…"

Jack leaned over and puked again.

"There it is!"

Dojo pointed at the Great Wall of China.

"You're kidding," Jack swallowed back his vomit, "Right?"

"Nope. The Walkachoo Wall is somewhere in the Wall of China."

"Inside of it?"

"No, just incorporated in it's exterior. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

Dojo landed on the ground a few feet from the wall.

"Should be straight ahead."

Jack got off his back and stumbled over to the wall.

"So many bricks…" he mumbled.

"Yeah and one of them is our Wu…"

"Looking for this?"

Jack looked up into Wuya's green eyes.

"How'd you…"

"I'm quick on my feet, what can I say?"

Jack growled furiously.

"Well. It was nice seeing you again, Jacky, but I'm off."

Wuya flew up into the air.

Jack was furious.

"I did _not_ come all this way on a dragon's back to be swindled out _of my _Wu by an ugly old WITCH!"

"What did you call me?" Wuya rasped."

"Ugly!" Jack shouted.

"Care to back those words up with some action?"

Jack hovered up into the air with his fly bot and grabbed the Walkachoo Wall in his hand.

"Yeah. Wuya, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

Wuya hissed.

"My Monkey Staff…"

"Is that the only Shen Gong Wu you have?"

"It's the only one they let me use. Against your Silk Spitter!"

"Fine. The game is Wall Runner. First person to reach that guard tower wins."

Jacked looked down at the wall. The nearest guard tower was almost a mile away.

"That one?" he pointed.

Wuya nodded.

"That's kinda far, don't you think?"

"Not at all, Jack. Do you want this Wu or not?"

Jack thought for only a split second.

"Let's do this," he announced, "Xiaolin Showdown!"

The wall rocketed up into the air and hovered far above the earth. Instead of ramparts, there were wild flames. The wall narrowed and stretched out so that it was straight instead of curved. Jack and Wuya appeared on the Wall's surface.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!"

With that, Jack and Wuya ran across the Great Wall of China.

"Monkey Staff!"

Jack picked up speed on four legs.

"Silk Spitter!"

Wuya shot the gooey strands at Jack, who cleverly evaded them and continued running on his monkey paws.

Jack was looking over his shoulder to stick his tongue out at Wuya when the floor beneath hem suddenly fell out. Jack caught the edge of the opening jast as he was beginning to fall. As he tried to haul himself up, Wuya leapt over him and he got a clear view up into Wuya's dress. Jack's eyes bulged in shock.

"Silk Spitter!" the witch bellowed as she sent the goo after Jack once more.

Jack kicked off from the wall he was leaning on and flipped back and out of the bottomless hole also managing to miss the sticky projectile.

Wuya was pretty far ahead of him. Even with his monkey speed, catching up would be tough. He thought a moment.

"Fly bot!"

Jack turned on his fly bot and glided through the air after Wuya.

"Wey, witch," he called, "You've got a grey hair!"

"What!"

Wuya halted instantly and started fussing with her hair.

Jack cackled as he sped ahead of her.

"I can't find- Jack!"

Wuya ran as fast as she could to catch up with him, but she was stopped as a series of darts were shot across the fiery ramparts.

Jack put his fly bot away and finished the Showdown as a human being.

"Silk Spitter!"

Jack suddenly felt his legs knocked from beneath him. He was bound by the Silk Spitter's ammunition.

"Well," Wuya gasped slightly, "I guess this Wu is mine."

She was still a good ways back, but Jack didn't have much time to free himself. Reaching into his pocket he found his old switchblade. He began to cut furiously through the sticky thread.

"Face it, Jack," she said as she approached him, "You lose."

Heat filled Jack's face and his eyes turned a violent red, as if a fire were burning in his very soul. Suddenly, he pulled his legs apart and the web tore in half. Jumping to his feet, Jack punched Wuya in the face. The old witch fell to the ground.

"I didn't come all this way to lose to you!" he spat.

Walking into the guard tower, Jack picked the Walkachoo Wall up from the torch pit, ending the Showdown.

"Lesson learned," he said as everything returned to normal, "Don't mess with Jack Spicer after he's gotten over a nasty bought of motion sickness!"

Wuya watched as Jack mounted Dojo's back. Jack was growing stronger, she could feel it in his punch. It was then that she began to fear that if he was this strong without training, how strong would he become when bestowed the power of a Wudai Warrior? She laughed silently to herself. Either that bean had picked the perfect target, or he was on his way to joining a three bean salad at Jack's dinner table.

* * *

**A/N:** Two Showdowns in a row? Well, not really. Chapter 18 may have sucked, but it covered a time gap. Sorry it seems so immediate... but I'm no good at interrim chapters. Good news is, Jack now has his five Shen Gong Wu! Now Master Fune _has_ to let him join the temple... or does he... 


	20. Jack's In

"I did it!" Jack shouted as he ran through the temple to the training grounds where the other warriors were.

"Did what?" Kimiko asked.

"I got the Walkachoo Wall!"

"Uh…" Rai looked stupidly.

"It's a Shen Gong Wu, but who cares!" he tossed the Wu to the ground, "I'm in! Now Master Fung has to let me train with you guys!"

"Well that's great, Jack!" Clay hit him on the back.

"Yeah, but did you get it in a Showdown?" Kimiko asked.

"Yup! I beat Wuya to a pulp!"

"Yeah!" Kimiko cheered, "That hag deserved it!"

"Dojo," Jack said turning to the tiny dragon, "Take word of my victory to Master Fung, will you?"

"No problem, kid," Dojo said as he slithered off with the Wu.

"I can't wait to start training!" Jack said, turning to the others.


	21. Apprentice in Training

The next day, Jack became an Apprentice in Training. He stood tall as he walked by his fellow warriors and took his uniform from Master Fung's arms. With a light bow, Jack turned to the others. They were smiling. And then it hit him. This was real. He wasn't dreaming. He was really joining the Xiaolin Temple and the battle for good. Looking into the eyes of his friends, Jack knew that it would be hard, but he also knew that they wouldn't let him fail. An unfamiliar warm feeling filled Jack. This was his home now and these people were his family. One day, he'd join them in the highest ranks the temple had to offer. He'd work hard to stand by their sides as their equal.

"Jack Spicer," Master Fung said solemnly, "You are now the Dragon of Shadows. Kimiko's fire and Clay's earth enhances your strength, while Raimundo's wind and Omi's water deters it. Learn to master your strength with all elements and you will advance easily. But I warn you, it will not be easy. You will start with the most basic of skills before learning your first elemental skill: Shadow."

Jack nodded humbly, "I won't let you down."

For the first time since he'd started living in the temple, Master Fung smiled at him.

"I know you won't."


	22. Something's Changed

Master Fung Hadn't lied when he said that it would be tough. Just getting a good stance was difficult.

Jack trained at all hours of the day and even the night. He forfeited much sleep in order to master the basics.

"Jack," Kimiko said one day, "You need to sleep. You can't get stronger if you never rest."

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "I guess you're right."

Jack dragged his ragged body into the temple where he took a very cold shower and then fell asleep in his underwear.

"He is most persistent," Omi noted.

"Indeed," Hannibal noted from the other side of his orb, "At this rate, Jack will be Wudai in just a few months!"

"I can't wait," Wuya said in a lackluster manner.

"I can't help but notice your sudden change in demeanor, Wuya. What's on your mind?"

"Well, when I fought Jack in that Showdown, the one over the Walkachoo Wall?"

"Yes?"

"He… seemed different…"

"Ah, I'm glad you noticed. That is Jack's evil shining through. It's still a pathetic bud…"

"Didn't feel pathetic when he hit me…"

"He hit you?" Hannibal said excitedly.

"Yeah. But it was weird. I felt it not only on my face, but in my soul…"

"You have a soul?" Bean mumbled.

Wuya glared at him.

"My dear, that was just your pride sharing the blow with your flesh."

"No, it felt like he reached inside me and tore a bit of me away…"

"Is that so?" Bean said intently, "Did you feel like you were bleeding on the inside?"

"Yes! It was terrible…"

"Then I do believe a new variable has presented itself in our equation. Jack may be more than we had originally expected…"

"How so?"

"No need to concern yourself with it. Just continue to do as I say and Jack will be ours soon enough," there was a hint of concern in Hannibal's voice.

"Should I be worried?" Wuya asked.

"Nah. Just do exactly what I say from now on."

"A… Alright…"


	23. Halloween

It was Halloween. By now, Jack had been training for a little more than two months. The other dragons had excelled to another level, but that didn't bother him too much. He had started from scratch and he felt good about an apprentice upgrade that was surely on its way.

"Hey, Jack!"

"Whu-?"

"Wanna come with us? We're taking Dojo into town to get some candy," Kimiko explained.

"I don't have a costume," Jack explained lazily.

"Just wear your old clothes, they're creep enough."

"Ha, ha, but Halloween is about masking yourself from malevolent spirits due to the thinness of the veil between our two realms…"

Kimiko just stared at him. By this time, the audience had accumulated to one Clay and one Raimundo.

"I, uh, read it in a book…" Jack said sheepishly.

"So you need a mask!" Clay said.

"Or just more makeup," Raimundo suggested.

"Yeah," Jack thought, "The makeup thing might be easier…"

"Well, for this, I'm afraid my eye liner is out of bounds. You have to get your own if you're doing more than usual," Kimiko said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"No problem. I wasn't going to ask you for yours. I've been using it too much lately anyway."

Kimiko scoffed.

"I'll just get Dojo to take me into town for a minute."

"Good luck getting him to move," Rai rolled his eyes.

"Why?"

"Dojo's shedding today," Clay explained flatly.

There was a disturbing pause.

"Eew?" Jack cringed, "Well, where is he? I'll try anyway."

"Out back near the fountain," Kimiko said.

"Alright. Got any egg rolls on hand?" Jack asked with a smile.

Jack walked up to Dojo with a platter full of egg rolls.

"Hey, Dojo, I was wondering if you could do me a favor…"

"Nope," the dragon said quickly as he scratched a few scales from his body, "I've already told the others that I'll take them trick-or-treating, but that's it."

"Please, Dojo?" Jack struck up the saddest face he could.

"Why should I?"

"I brought you some egg rolls…" Jack cooed.

"Oh," Dojo looked side to side, "Well, that changes everything."

Jack handed Dojo the platter and soon enough, Jack had his eyeliner.

Getting it was easy, but what was he going to do with it? Jack stared at himself in the mirror. His teeth were glistening white and it made him feel good. He'd become somewhat of a serious hygiene freak since he'd been there. Sleeping on the ground only made hi more neurotic. That was fine and all, but how was he going to play with his make up? Just as he was putting the eyeliner to his face, a curly line formed on his pale skin.

"What the-?"

He pulled the liner away and looked at the mark. It was even and smooth. He shrugged and went to apply some more. This time, several more curly lines spread across the left side of his face. Magic eyeliner? Jack laughed at the notion. But as he laughed, the marks continued to engulf the entire left side of his face. When he opened his eyes, he let out a shriek of terror.

"What's wrong?" Kimiko ran in.

"My face," he cried into his hands, "Something happened!"

Kimiko rolled her eyes, "What, Jack? Let me see."

Jack slowly removed his hands from his face and Kimiko took a step back.

"How'd you do that?" she said excitedly.

"It just happened!"

"What do you mean?" Kimiko growled.

"I was trying to put the eyeliner on and the lines showed up on their own!"

"Well," Kimiko said nervously, "It looks cool…"

"I feel like my insides are on fire…"

"Why don't you stay here then? One of us can stay with you…"

"No," Jack flailed, "I don't want to ruin it for you! Besides," he said after calming down a bit, "I've got a wicked hankering for some sugar."

Jack crept back into his sleeping quarters and picked up his old clothes. They seemed so drab… Maybe some spikes'd make it cooler…

As he thought, his jacket became outlined in spiky studs.

"Hey!" he shouted.

Jack grumbled as he put the jacket on and looked in his mirror. Nice, but it didn't match his face. But what else?

The jacket extended to just above his ankles and the simple tattered edges became torn frays of material. The tail of his coat hovered just above the ground, but instead of being cloth, it was outlined in metal.

"Hm…" Jack thought as one long line extended itself from his right eye, down his face, and into his jacket.

Jack grinned as he reached down for his fly bot. As he put it on, the straps became bone and the color scheme turned from white, red, and yellow, to black and purple.

His eyes darkened and his hair was messed up so that just a bit hung over his right eye. The collar of his jacket was full of holes. When he looked at his hands, his fingers were long and slim. This was a drastic difference, but he wasn't about to say anything. He looked scary and that's what matters on Halloween.

As he stepped out of his quarters, two long, curved bones shot out of his shoulders and arched over his head. Jack looked up and wondered if he should call in sick to the others.

"Hey," Rai called form the doorway, "I thought you said you didn't have a costume?"

"I… didn't…"

"Then what are you wearing?"

"My regular clothes…"

Rai stared at him in disbelief.

"No, really," he laughed, "Where'd you get it?"

"From my mind…"

* * *

**A/N: **YAY! I have 30 comments! More please!


	24. Nightmare on Main Street

It was a nightmare.

As Jack wandered the streets with his friends, people called out to him, called him names, ran in terror at his sight… What was so wrong with him? The worst was a little old lady.

"Hello there," she began before looking into Jack's face, "Carl?" her eyes widened.

"No," Jack said nervously, "My name's Jack…"

"Oh, Carl," the old woman shook.

She dropped her bowl of candy and stepped out of the house. Reaching out with her frail fingers, the old woman caressed Jack's face.

"It's been so long," she wept, "Why did you leave me?"

"I didn't! I mean…I'm not Carl! Whoever that is…"

"You left me for that hussy! You left me with our child!" she advanced on Jack, "How dare you show your face here again!"

Jack was full of fear. He looked to the dragons and then back at the old woman. He found it strange that she wasn't looking into his eyes, but rather, at his cheek.

"What do you want from me!" she yelled at the side of his face, "haven't I suffered enough!"

With that, the old woman slammed her fist into Jack's face. Jack reeled. As he did, he looked into a garden globe and saw his reflection. On his left side, there was a face where all his makeup had been. Jack screeched and began tearing at his own flesh.

"Go away!" the old woman cried, "Go away!"

Jack scratched harder and harder, but the mark didn't let up.

Instead, he covered that side of his face with his hand and approached the others who were still standing on the old woman's doorstep.

"Why, hello there, deary," she said kindly, "Would you like a candy?"

Jack just stared at her. Slowly, he removed his hand from his face.

"I told you to leave!" the woman shouted.

Jack covered the mark again.

"I've got all kinds of nice treats…"

"Dojo," he muttered, "I have to get out of here…"

"Sure thing," Dojo cringed, "The rest of you hang out, I'll come back for you later."

"No," Kimiko sighed, "I think we're all ready to go home."

"You sure?" Jack's voice wavered.

"Yeah," Rai said stiffly, "We've seen our share of creeps this evening."

As they took off, Jack looked down at the little old lady. She was offering some candy to a little kid. She was smiling as if nothing had happened…


	25. Tongues

Jack slept. Jack slept for nearly two days. Nothing woke him up, not even pudding cups… The dragons were at a loss. What had happened on Halloween? Almost everyone they passed gawked at Jack. What were they seeing? It was something more than good makeup. That one old lady had called him Carl and punched him in the face. What had Jack done that was so terrible?

"It was definitely something about the makeup," Kimiko reasoned.

"Yeah, but what?" Rai murmured.

"Jack said that it had just kinda showed up on his face…" Kimiko recalled.

"Yeah, and he said that his jacket came from his imagination…" Rai added.

"Perhaps we should bring this up with Master Fung," Omi suggested.

As they walked to the meditation room, they saw Jack staring blankly at a wall.

"Jack?" Kimiko said softly as she approached him.

His eyes were empty and devoid of all life.

"Jack?" Kimiko shook him gently.

Jack turned to her and began spewing random words that weren't even English. He babbled and spewed in a million different languages before falling flat on his face.

"You think he's possessed?" Rai suggested.

Kimiko stood frozen with fear.

"I think we should really consult Master Fung on this one," Clay's voice shook.

"Hello, my young dragons," Master Fung said as they entered the hall, "And what brings you here on such a sunny Autumn day?"

"It's Jack," Kimiko shuddered.

Master Fung lowered his head, "Yes, he's been unconscious for quite a while…"

"Well," Clay murmured, "He's awake now…"

"Well, please invite him in! I have some good news for him!"

"Well, you see," Rai fumbled with his fingers, "He's only kinda awake."

"How so?" Master Fung turned to them.

"You have to see him for yourself," Clay mumbled.

The dragons lead Master Fung out to where Jack had been, but he was gone.

"He was right here!" Rai shouted, "Lying flat on his face!"

"It was weird, Master Fung. He was just standing here, staring at the wall. I walked up to him and he began yelling at me in all kinds of languages."

"I think he's possessed," Rai said matter-of-factly.

Master Fung was silent.

"Well," he said suddenly, "Let's see if he's back in his quarters now, shall we?"

Sure enough, there Jack was, lying face first on his bed mat.

"How-?" Rai began.

"Let me try to wake him," Master Fung said gently as he leaned in on Jack, "Young dragon," he cooed, "I have some news for you… You are an apprentice now…"

Jack's eyes shot open and he sat up instantly.

"Well it's about time!"

Everyone's eyes bulged. The voice that came from Jack wasn't his own…

Jack rubbed his eyes.

"Mr. Bean?" Omi asked slowly.

"What?" Jack moaned, "I had a nightmare, again."

Master Fung stood up and turned to the Wudai warriors.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jack said as he pointed at Master Fung.

"Nothing, young one, just put on your uniform and meet me in the meditation chamber."

"Ugh," Jack grogged, "Yeah, okay."

With that, he pulled the curtain shut to get changed.

The dragons were silent.

"I don't even want to know…" Kimiko murmured as she wandered off.

"Yeah, what was that? Ventriloquism?" Rai laughed slowly before following Kimiko.

Clay just shook his head remorsefully and left.

Omi stood outside of Jack's quarters a moment longer. That _was_ Mr. Bean's voice, there was no doubt about it. But… How did it get into Jack's mouth? Omi scratched his head and walked off to meditate on this.


	26. Growing Threat

"That was much too close," Bean said as he returned to Wuya's side.

"Yeah, you almost got caught!"

"I let my enthusiasm take control."

"So what now?" Wuya asked as she followed Hannibal.

"We may have a problem on our hands…"

"Um, how so?" Wuya asked nervously.

"Master Fung was most astute in selecting Spicer's element, but by giving him the element of Shadow, he's unlocked a… darker side of our little friend."

"And, what does this mean to us?"

"Spicer may become too good for us to sway his loyalties. We may have to act sooner. If he's not Wudai by Christmas, we're moving on him anyway."

"But…"

"Listen, Wuya, it's really none of your concern," the bean growled.

"This is most interesting," Chase said as he turned his viewing orb off, "Looks like Spicer is reacting much too well with his element. I believe my time has come to intervene…"

* * *

**A/N:** Come on! Review now! You know you want to...


	27. Shadow Eclipse

"Alright," Master Fung said calmly.

The warriors were playing a ridiculous game of monkey in the middle. Jack Spicer was always the monkey.

"Jack," Master Fung growled, "Now that you are an Apprentice, the real training must begin."

"Oh," Jack sighed.

With a screech, Jack was human again.

"Your main attack is called the Shadow Eclipse."

"Sounds cool!" Jack said, looking back at his Mater Monk companions, "Teach me."

"I'm afraid the others must go to train elsewhere."

Master Fung's words were met with a series of disgruntled moans.

"Better not be better than mine. I mean, I _am_ the leader…" Rai mumbled.

"Rai!" Kimiko hissed.

Once the other warriors were gone, Master Fung sat down on the grass; Jack sat across from him.

"Your move will allow you to become someone's shadow. You will move with them until the opportune moment to strike arises."

"Sounds great. Now, how do I do this?"

"Concentrate. Let all of your body fall into a uniform state of calm. Now, open your eyes and observe my shape. Do not see it as me, but merely an abstract form for you to mimic."

"Alright."

Jack closed his eyes. His limbs went limb and his mind fell into darkness. He became afraid at how calm he had become. His eyes shot open and instantly, he was a dark form on the grass at Master Fung's side.

"That's good, Jack. But this shadow is your own. You must become mine."

"This is a lot harder than it looks," Jack mumbled as he returned to normal.

"Now, try again. This time, remain in control."

Jack sat in silence for quite a while. With all his neurotic defects and ADD, this concentration stuff was the bane of his existence. He _was_ getting better at it though. A little too good for his own taste. He could almost literally reduce his composure to a near jelly-like state… But that only happened when he wasn't paying attention. He was paying attention now. In his mind, he outlined Master Fung's form. He saw every curve. Then, he opened his eyes and almost immediately compensated for the sun's angle. With a new image in his mind Jack looked at Master Fung and closed his eyes. His body darkened and stretched out across the ground. He allowed himself to shift with the sun. After all was said and done, Master Fung had a second shadow lying on top of his real one.

"Very good, Jack. You just need to speed it up a bit so that no one can see what you are doing."

"Sure thing," the shadow spoke, "Now that I know what I'm doing."

Jack reformed into his own shadow and then returned to being solid.

"Excellent," Master Fung complimented, "Now go and join the others in their training."

"Yes, Master Fung."

Jack stood up, bowed slightly, and walked off to meet the others.

* * *

**A/N:** No, sorry, I don't read minds. ButI guess great minds _do_ think alike!


	28. Chase Young

It was getting to be an old habit. Jack sleepwalked. He talked a lot too. He had conversations with people who weren't there. Sometimes holding up both ends of the conversation on his own. The warriors had become accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night to Jack standing outside talking to his shadow. Sometimes it was an ordinary shadow, others, the dark mass seemed to form a body independent from Jack. But since Halloween, things hadn't been too bad. All of Jack's clothes were normal again, and the scrawls on his face hadn't been seen since. It had become a ritual that whoever found Jack sleeping outside was to bring him back into his quarters; not that he stayed there very long.

Sleep was not a friend of Jack's anymore. If he wasn't talking to shadows, he was fighting off terrible nightmares. Nightmares which had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Jack was waking up with cuts and bruises all over. The people in his dreams would hit him and he'd wake up with a black eye. His mother and the other dragons often frequented his dreams, but on this night, Chase Young came to his overworked mind.

"Hi, Chase," he grogged.

"Good morning, Spicer."

"Is it morning already?"

"Yes."

"Guess I should wake up then…"

"Not yet. Have you seen Hannibal as of late?"

"Hannibal Roy Bean? No…"

"What of Wuya?"

"Oh, I saw her a while ago…"

"What did she say to you?"

"Nothing. First time she tried to kill me and then we fought over a Wu… Why?"

The longer Jack spoke to Chase, the more he began to feel that he was supposed to be at this man's throat.

"Have you been having… nightmares lately?"

"What? That's none of your business!"

"Yes, but _I_ know how to stop the dreams."

"How!" Jack was on top of Chase, gripping him by his collar.

"Rotten food often causes bade dreams and hallucinations…"

"I haven't eaten any bad food!"

"But it _is_ inside of you."

"What do you mean?" Jack growled.

"Don't let him deceive you any longer," Chase said calmly, "The bean is deep in your mind…"

"Stop playing with me!" Jack yelled.

An unexpected burst of strength sent Chase Young to the ground.

"You can't play with me any more…"

"I am not playing with you. It is in both our interests to destroy that wretched fruit!"

"No," Jack shook, "You're just here to fuck me up! You killed my parents! You burned my home to the ground! You turned me into an orphan!"

"I had no hand in the death of your parents."

"My mother! She told me herself!"

"Your mother?" Chase questioned as he got to his feet.

"Yeah!"

Jack's eyes turned malicious once more.

Chase looked away, "I see. Just remember that Bean has both the Shadow of Fear and the Moby Morpher…"

"So?"

"Imagine what he could do with those two Shen Gong Wu."

Chasewaited a moment for Jack to process his words.

"Stop messing with my head!"

"Evil knows no bounds!"

"And neither do I! Reign of Shadows!"

A thousand shadows swarmed over Chase and blinded him from Jack's next move.

"Shadow Eclipse!"

The shadows dispersed.

"What move was that?" Chase hissed.

Chase looked around wildly for Jack. He was still there because this was still a dream. Chase stood still a moment and decided to try something. He shifted into his demonic form, but his shadow remained in his human form.

"I've found you," he taunted.

Turning on his shadow, Chase returned to human.

"These little tricks will not work on me Spicer. Listen to me before a terrible fate befalls you…"

"Why are you doing this!" the shadow screamed.

"Because, I don't want to die…"

Jack became solid and looked up into Chase's golden eyes.

Everything melted into darkness as the dream came to an end.


	29. Unrest

I don't want to die… 

The words echoed in Jack's head. Could that really have been Chase Young in his dreams? Why the hell would the greatest master of evil be visiting him in his dreams? Seemed a bit odd, but Chase _did _have a point. As of late, the Heylin had been recruiting lamer minions to do its bidding. For instance, Jack had seen more of Katnappè and Tubbimura in the past few days than he had seen them when he had hired them. He knew why Chase wasn't around. Chase didn't care about Shen Gong Wu. But what about Bean and Wuya? What were they up to?

Jack scratched his red head as he sat at breakfast with the others.

"Another nightmare?" Kimiko asked matter-of-factly.

"Kinda," Jack said slowly.

"Well," Rai said through scrambled eggs, "You at least spent the night in you bed, rather than on the training grounds."

"Yeah," Jack blushed slightly, "Sorry about that."

Dojo suddenly hopped onto the table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and Jack…"

"Hey!"

"The newest Shen Gong Wu has revealed itself. Jack, I think this one's for you."

"Everything is about Jack," Raimundo growled.

Kimiko glared at him fiercely.

"It's called the Shadow of Ti. It calls to the wielder's side a loyal shadow companion. He does everything from fighting bad guys to bringing you egg rolls in bed."

Everyone watched the little cartoon characters illustrate Dojo's description.

"What about pudding cups?"

"What?" Kimiko looked at Jack crookedly.

"Yeah, you know, to eat?"

Dojo thought a moment.

"Well I suppose," The dragon reasoned, "I mean if it can bring egg rolls, why not pudding cups?"

Rai sat silently at the table eating his breakfast

"You know what I'm realizing?" Jack said as he thought, "I've got the best element!'

"It's not an element, it's a _sub-_element," Rai said firmly.

"Whatever. I mean, the Shroud of _Shadows_ and the _Shadow_ of Fear? And now the _Shadow_ of Ti? I think I'm doing pretty well in the field of themed Shen Gong Wu."

"That's because you don't have a main element," Rai said.

"And why do you suppose that is?" Jack asked curiously.

"Because there are only four elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. Anything else is useless."

"Are you calling me useless?" Jack hissed.

"I didn't say that. It's just that any other element seems pale in comparison. Hence the over compensation with Wu."

"Wanna run that by me again?" Jack growled.

Rai shrugged, "You have not powers without the Wu."

Jack laughed, "Yes I do and you know it! I think you're a bit jealous of me…"

"Jealous? Of _you_?" Rai laughed.

"Rai!" Kimiko hissed.

"Not a chance! I know for a fact that Master Fung created all of your moves in his sleep. No ancient wisdom to any of it!" Rai laughed again.

"But…"

Jack was at a loss. What the hell was going on here?

"Raimundo," Clay said calmly, "I think it's time for you to just chill out."

"'Chill out'? Why should I?" He shrugged, "There's nothing wrong."

"Rai, what's the matter with you all of a sudden?" Kimiko said defensively.

"No problem. I'm just tired of all the time Master Fung spends with Spicer when _we're_ the chosen ones!"

"Jack's new to this," Clay explained slowly, "He needs more attention than we do."

"Yeah," Kimiko added, "You'd think the Shoku Warrior would be proud to be given free reign over his training?"

"That's another thing!" Rai shouted, "I'm the leader! How come Spicer's got better moves than I do?"

"'Better'?" Kimiko began, "They're completely different! They're all defensive! He can't do any projectile damage like we can. He's learning a whole different style of Tai Chi!"

"I'm still here," Jack's voice creaked.

"Sor-" Kimiko began, but was cut off by Raimundo's onslaught.

"But you shouldn't be!" he yelled, "You're a fifth wheel, Spicer. Get off before you get hurt!"

Raimundo slammed his fists into the table and walked away.

"Dragon of Shadows," he muttered, "What a load of crap…"

Jack was silent.

"What's gotten into him?" Kimiko said with disgust.

"I don't know," Clay said methodically, "But he seemed sourer than a week old jug of milk."

"Omi?" Kimiko turned to the tiny yellow boy, "What do you think?"

"All I know is that there is something very wrong with our dear friend Raimundo…"

They were silent for a moment.

"You okay, Jack?" Kimiko whispered as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," was all he said as he shrugged her away and stood up to leave.

"Ahem," Dojo coughed, "Shen Gong Wu, anyone?"

"What about Jack and Rai?" Kimiko asked.

"Let them deal with their problems for now," Clay said as he stood up, "Someone has to be responsible enough to get the Shen Gong Wu. We'll talk to them later."

"I suppose…" Kimiko thought, "Come on, Omi."

Little did the others know, as they took off into the sky, that Raimundo was still in his bed, lost in a world of babes and boards.


	30. Spice Things Up

"Just thought I'd 'spice' some things up a bit. Get it?" The bean laughed maniacally.

Wuya laughed nervously.

And he thinks my jokes are bad… 

Hannibal wiped away a tear as his laughter came to an end.

"That's great and all, but why?" Wuya asked.

"I wanted to get our little boy to work a bit harder; especially after Chase's little late-night visit. Now he'll strive to be better than Raimundo who, if I may remind you, is the leader of the Xiaolin Dragons.. He'll get good fast. The crush'll come harder and sooner, but in the end, we'll have twice the minion we were expecting from the start. A little rivalry never hurt anyone, it just made them stronger," Bean growled before breaking out into evil laughter once more.

"Oh…" Wuya said slowly.

"Let's just put it this way: In half the time, we'll have double the product, get it?"

Wuya thought a moment and wondered if Hannibal really knew what he was doing.

"I see…" was all Wuya said before walking away from the evil fruit.


	31. The Shadow

**A/N: **Voila! A chapter! Hope you like!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I didn't do it!" Rai squealed as the other dragons trapped him in a corner, "Honest, you guys!"

"Rai," Kimiko said sarcastically, "We know you did it! I mean we saw you! I mean…"

"You'da have to have been blinder than a fruit bat not to see you yellin' at poor Jack," Clay explained.

"'Poor Jack'?" Rai bellowed.

"Rai, he's trying. The least we can do is be nice to him," Kimiko said.

"But… You know me guys? Why would I go out of my way to even bother talking to Spicer?"

Omi, Clay, and Kimiko glanced among themselves.

"Because," Omi began, wisely, "You are jealous of Jack Spicer's powers and abilities."

"Why would I be jealous of Jack? I mean, I'm the team leader! What's better then that?"

"Bein' able to summon an army of shadows," Clay added.

"Not helping," Kimiko growled, "Besides, Jack can't do that."

"You sure 'bout that?"

"Yeah, why?"

"'Cause I saw him surrounded by a group of dark lookin' figures…"

"Where?"

"Out in the court yard…"

"When?"

"Jeeze, Kimiko, just a few minutes ago…"

Kimiko hurried away to find out what Jack was doing. She found him sitting out under a large tree, talking to another dark figure. As she approached, it nodded and disappeared.

"Jack," Kimiko began as she approached him, "Who was that?"

"Hm? Oh, Kimiko," he'd become so mellow after his fight with Rai, "No one."

"You and Rai seem to think I'm stupid."

Jack chuckled.

"Anyway, about that, Rai seems to think he didn't do anything…"

"He didn't," Jack mumbled as he stood up.

"What?"

"It was Hannibal Roy Bean in Raimundo's form. He used the Moby Morpher."

Kimiko looked at him stupidly, "How do you figure?"

"My shadow told me."

Jack looked down at the ground before walking off.

"Jack?" Kimiko called after him, but he was gone before she knew it.


	32. Connections

**A/N:** Sorry it's so short. I use these short ones mainly to arrange my own thoughts...

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Chase had been right. The bean was messing with his mind, but to what extent? Was all of this, even his parents' death, the work of that disgusting fruit? No, Chase had done it. But wait. What about Wuya? She was in league with either Chase or Hannibal, but which? Chase _had_ warned him about the bean, but what if that was what Chase wanted? After all, his own mother had come to him in a dream… but how much faith can you put in a mere dream? Not much, but up until now, he'd thought that Chase was his only problem. Now that wretched bean was toying with him openly. So who was it? Who was with him and who was against him? The dragons were on his side, this he knew, but what good was that when two other evils were messing with his mind? His mind! It was psychological war. How much had the bean already disturbed him? What role did Chase _really_ play in all this? Jack didn't know and, personally, he didn't want to. He needed his shadow to tell him more.


	33. The Bean's Panick

"He's on to us!" the bean hissed.

"What do you mean?" Wuya hissed.

"I felt his presence. He was here…"

"No he wasn't…"

"Physically, no. But I do believe that he is beginning to use our own tricks against us."

"Oh…"

"We must hope that he takes on the level of Wudai very soon."

"Wudai? But he just became and Apprentice!"

"This _is_ a bit of and urgency…"

"You can't masquerade yourself as the old fart, that would be too obvious."

"I understand the level of risk that has now entered our equation."

"So what will you do?"

"I will wait. I must put my faith in the judgment of the old monk."

"That may not happen for a while…"

"Indeed…"

Things were getting shaky, a bit too shaky. The plan was coming to pieces. The grass on the other side of the fence was starting to look much greener than it was here to Wuya. Tough choice, really. A rancid old bean or a supposedly evil cat fanatic? Cats weren't exactly evil. Wuya loved cats. Cats and crows, the staples of live. Wuya's mind wandered to the simpler things of life.


	34. My Way

**A/N:** A longer chapter for you all. That and, is anyone else having a hard time uploading stuff? It just took me like twenty tries to upload this chapter. Kept getting some strange error. But neigh did I give up! So here you go, enjoy!

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Hannibal didn't make a move for weeks. He didn't want to rock the boat any more than he already had.

Jack was a fragile piece at the moment. He was training hard and struggling to control his new abilities. This alone worried Hannibal. In the back of his mind, he knew that his powers would be a problem, but he outwardly rejected that idea. Jack's mind was too frail to pose any problems. He would own him soon enough.

But while Hannibal was silent, Chase plotted. He wasn't about to let the bean get too far ahead of him. Chase reached out to Jack's mind once more, but instead of reaching Jack, he was stopped by a black form that resembled the Dragon of Shadows.

"Jack?"

"Jack's not available."

"How so?"

"He's inside."

"Inside?"

"Meditating."

"He does that?"

The form nodded, "Ever since the bean came…"

"The bean?"

"Yes, Hannibal."

"I see. Well, I need to speak with him."

"He doesn't want to see you or the bean."

"I understand, but it is urgent."

The shadow paused.

"'Urgent'?" it repeated smugly.

"Yes," Chase growled.

"Well, I'm sorry, but Jack is busy at the moment…"

"I do not appreciate these trivialities. I _will_ speak to Spicer and no shadow will stop me!"

Chase snarled as he passed the shadow sentry. As he did, the shadow shifted into a tall, spiny creature.

"He doesn't want to speak with you!" it growled.

"Impressive, but don't think that you can fool me," Chase scoffed and moved on.

The sound of a blade coming from its sheathe met Chase's ears. Jumping into the air, Chase Young evaded the monster's attack.

"Go away!" it bellowed.

"You don't seriously think that you can harm me, do you?"

"I will not let you in!"

The shadow became Chase's own shadow and lunged at him from a nearby surface. Now they were equals. Expressing the same weaknesses and strengths. It was a futile battle and unlike the Shadow, Chase would wear out eventually.

"Chase?"

The voice cut off the shadow's attack.

"Why hello there, Spicer. Would you mind calling off your dog?"

Jack looked at the shadow and it returned to the ground at his side.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to tell you something that is most important to your career as a Dragon."

"You aren't exactly on my 'Favorites'' list right now…"

"No matter. Do you realize, Spicer, that because you are not a chosen one, you can never reach a rank above Wudai?"

"What?" Jack laughed, "That's not gonna work, Chase. I'm not _that_ stupid."

"It is not an object of stupidity, but the truth."

"Yeah. Okay. Chase Young came all this way to tell me that I can never succeed. That plays into the overall scheme of evil how?"

"I just wanted to let you know before you got your hopes up too high."

"Wait. Why do you care?"

"Again, it is in my best interest to prevent you from falling into any serious harm."

"How so?"

The red haired boy was pushing the Heylin lord's patience.

"The bean. He is trying to use you to bring me down…"

"_Me_?" Jack chuckled, "I'm honored that you consider me a threat. Honestly, it's about time…"

"You are not the threat. It is the bean and his potion. He is waiting for the right time to sway your loyalties. It will only damn the both of us."

Jack was silent for a moment.

"Sounds serious."

Chase was ready to beat his pale face in.

"And by 'damn us both' you mean you and me?"

"Yes."

"Mmhm… I see… And, uh, what exactly does this 'damnation' entail?"

"Enslavement. Your will will be bound to the bean's and his will is to destroy me to revenge my act of banishing him to the Ying-Yang World. We will be forced into an eternity of combat, leaving him to rule the world…"

And then it hit him.

"Wait, the Hannibal's gonna rule the world?"

"He will, if we become entangled in battle."

Jack thought.

"You see, I may be good, but that was just because I got smart. Evil gets you nowhere. The path to world domination is practically nonexistent. If I couldn't become ruler of the world, a damn bean isn't gonna beat me to it."

Chase rolled his eyes.

"That's one way to analyze it," he mumbled, "But yes, do not give in to the bean…"

Jack chuckled.

"Listen, Chase, this new tactic, whatever it is, isn't working. You were better off with burning down houses and murdering families. Go back to that and your evil might hold more sway in the world."

Chase wanted to annihilate him. Killing the pest would solve all his problems, but it would get him nowhere. He had to show that rotten fruit who was on top, once and for all. Chase was the one who was going to be pulling the punches.

"Alright, Spicer. I had nothing to do with your parents' death…"

Jack laughed.

"I've told you that before! Listen to me, you rat! You'll do nothing but doom us all…"

"And send the world into the proverbial ten thousand years of darkness, I know…"

"No, chaos."

"So?"

Chase clenched his fists at his side.

"Don't worry, Chase, I'm on to you _and_ the bean. I'll figure it all out soon enough. Until then, Shadow? Show Chase out and lock the door behind him. We can't have anymore interferences."

The shadow sentry formed before Chase.

"Listen to me, Spicer. He is counting on your despair to lead you to him. You can do far better than what he has to offer…"

The shadow took Chase by the arm; chase pulled away.

"What _does_ he have to offer?" Jack sneered.

"You will become like me, only without self will. Power, but no freedom."

"I won't fall for that."

"Power is a serious bargaining chip. I never thought that I would fall to it, but I took power over the forces of good for which I had fought for for all my life," Chase paused a moment to clear his mind, "Power is most powerful when the desperate are despaired."

Something inside of Jack clicked, but he didn't know what. Perhaps it was the same question that had always nagged the back of his mind. How far would he go to be the best? No, being the best wasn't the point. Being part of a team and acting as a part of a whole was what mattered… But… A team shares everything, even recognition. Jack had always been just another face in the crowd and here he was again. He was one of five. No, the _last_ of five. He was the tail end. The bottom of the barrel. What is Chase was right? What is he never could become better than Wudai? What was the purpose then? Show him the way of good and then cut him off? Doom him to failure? He had come to the temple in search of success, not failure. No, they were the Xiaolin. All about honor and discipline. Master Fung would have told him by now if that was the case. Chase was desperate, that's all. Jack felt good about that. He must've been doing something right to have the two greatest forces of evil pining for his attention. But even if Chase was right, even if the bean _was_ depending on and unlikely scenario, Jack wasn't about to forgive Chase for what he had done.

"Listen," he wheezed, "To be fair, I'll log all that away. But listen to me, Chase, you _will _pay for what you have done to me. I appreciate you trying to help me, but you aren't getting out of a fight."

"That's what he wants!" Chase growled, "He wants you to fight me! Listen to me, fool, I did not kill your parents…"

"Why so desperate, Chase? For the guy with all the Heylin power, you seem to be pretty desperate to get my attention."

"Because like any warlord, I don't want to lose my power…"

"Especially not to me," Jack snickered, "Right?"

"No, not to you…"

"I don't get you, Chase. Get rid of him," Jack nodded to his shadow sentry.

"You cannot force me away…"

"My mind, my dream, my way. Shadow? Get rid of him and make it hurt."

"You cannot hurt me," Chase growled.

"What part of 'my way' don't you understand? If I want you to hurt, you _will_ hurt, but nowhere near enough."

Chase was lead away by the shadow. He had done what he had come to do. It was up to Spicer now. He knew the boy would think about what he had said and would come to a logical conclusion. Whether or not it was the conclusion he wanted, Chase had to wait to find out. Like the bean, he had entered the waiting game. All cards were on the table and Jack was holding the ace. He was the key to everything. As sick as it sounded, Chase was dependant on his decision now. He was at the mercy of a teenager…


	35. Worries of the Future

Jack had been alone for quite some time. Neither the bean nor Chase had been inside his head for quite some time. Jack figured that he wasn't working to their advantages so they just gave up.

Since the internal silence befell him, Jack had been able to actually train. Gradually, he gained more and more control over the shadows. He was be able to control them in the real world, not just his dreams.

Jack smiled. Things had never been better. It seemed as though he really _was_ one of the dragons. They had accepted him as if he had been with them all along. His past was just that, something of the past. More and more frequently, he began neglecting to apply his make up. What was he trying to hide with it anyway? His bright red eyes had softened into a more mellow orange. All his thoughts of world conquest in the name of evil were gone.

Now he only strove to succeed. After the bean had pointed out that he had so many Shen Gong Wu attributed to his element, Jack decided to reject the Shen Gong Wu all together. He wanted his success to be truly earned without the help of those mystical objects. However, he still joined the other dragons in their never-ending hunt for them.

Jack was good now, but not annoyingly so. The days of covering up his insecurities through sucking up and self humiliation were over. Now he took to openly insulting himself. He would be the best, but even his tiniest flaws were subject to his own ridicule. At first the other dragons found it funny, but after a while, Jack's reckless treatment of himself began to bother them.

"You okay?" Kimiko said softly as she approached him.

"Yeah," he smiled, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just, well… You've been beating yourself up a lot lately. What's bothering you?"

Jack thought. What _was_ wrong with him? Nothing that he could tell.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

"You sure?" she whispered.

No, he wasn't…

"Yeah," he whispered.

"Okay," Kimiko sighed.

No, he knew what was bothering him.

"Hey, Kimiko," he called after her.

"Hm?" she turned to him.

"If, um, if not being a chosen one, uh, hmm… If there was some stipulation that… If I could never be as good as the rest of you, you'd tell me, right?"

Kimiko was confused. What was he talking about?

"Yeah, I guess," was all she could say.

"Right," he sighed.

"Why?"

"I've just got this nagging feeling that Wudai'll be the end of my training…"

Kimiko laughed, "Hardly! You need to train to become a full-fledged dragon! Wudai is nowhere near the end," she patted him on the back, "You'll get there, someday."

Jack winced, "I guess."

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, "You'll do just fine."

"But what if I don't?"

Kimiko's smile faded.

"What if I'm predestined to fail?"

Kimiko laughed, "Oh please don't tell me that you believe in that crap, Jack? 'Predestined'? Please. Your future…"

"Is what you make it," he interrupted, "I know."

"Then make it a good one. I mean, despite the rough start, you really are a good person."

Tears burned in his eyes.

"Thanks," he wavered.

"So come one," she laughed, trying to better his mood, "We want you to train with us. We wanna see how you'll interact with the Dragon X Kumei formation."

"But you're all past that…"

"But you're not."

"I don't…"

"We need to help you train so that one day you can be as good as us! So come on," Jack felt a weight lift from his heart, "Let's train."

"Okay," he smiled.

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**A/N:** Since I'm heading off to college, chapters will be a bit sporadic for a while. I don't plan on dropping this story, so just hang in there please! Thanks again to all those who read and to those who comment. I really do appreciate your patience.


	36. Presents

**A/N:** First chapter from college! Orientation sucks. The schedule is like all over the place. Ugh. I can't wait to start my classes! Anyway, Enjoy the story!

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Christmas day had come. They had just gotten back from a Showdown which Jack had won. The red-haired Apprentice now sat bundled in his black button-up jacket in the courtyard mumbling the Carol of the Bells to himself. Such a strange song. Sounded down and almost ominous, but it was about Christmas cheer. Kinda like him. Strange on the outside, but he really was good on the inside. Now he was sure of that.

He had spent most of the day avoiding the other dragons and the Christmas tree. They were partying, while he was still grieving. Over what, though? Life was good. In the wake of his parents' death, he had found where he truly belonged. He shrugged it away as Omi approached him.

"Why are you out here alone?" the small yellow ball asked.

"I'd like to ask you the same question," Jack smiled.

Omi hopped up onto the stone bench beside him.

"I do not take part in these festivities," Omi mumbled.

"Why not?"

"All the other dragons receive gifts from families. Do not get me wrong, they give me presents too, but it is not the same…"

Jack grimaced as he looked down at the ground.

"But what about you?" Omi asked, "Why are you out here instead of inside with the others?"

"I'm trying to figure that out myself. I guess I just want to be alone."

"Should I leave you then?" Omi asked slowly.

"No, misery enjoys company."

"I does?"

"Yup."

And they were silent.

Jack didn't want to be with the others because he didn't want to be jealous of them. They were his family now. But they had _other_ families too. He had nothing. He didn't want to sit by and watch them open their presents while he sat by and did nothing but 'oooohhh' and 'aaaahhh' at their good fortune. He wanted to cry a bit, but he had made a policy regarding crying while in Omi's presence.

"Omi?"

"Yes, Jack Spicer?"

"Do you ever feel… alone?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like, you know, empty on the inside?"

"Ah, you mean as if a part of me was missing? No, I never feel that way."

Jack began to ache, "Not even when you know that you don't have a family, but they do?"

"You mean jealous?"

"Yeah."

Omi shrugged, "Sometimes…"

There was a pause.

"But only at times like this… They simply give me gifts they don't want. I truly wish that someone would give me a gift that was meant for me and only me," Omi clarified.

Jack nodded, "Point taken."

"Young monk," Master Fung's voice met their ears.

Omi turned to him.

"Yes, Master Fung?"

"Not you, Omi."

Jack still stared off in the distance.

"Jack?"

Jack turned suddenly, "You mean me?"

"Yes," Master Fung smiled.

Jack stood up and looked around in bewilderment.

"You sure?"

Master Fung nodded.

"Come," he said softly, "We have much to talk about."

Jack's face became hot. What had he done now?

"Later, Omi," Jack said as he followed Master Fung to the meditation chamber.

The hall was lined with the monks of the Xiaolin Temple. They looked to Jack like a jury. He must've been in some deep trouble.

"You have done well, Jack Spicer. You have succeeded in proving my judge of your character to be wrong."

So it was good news?

"Yeah, about that…"

"Your performance today was, as usual, exceptional."

Compliments?

"You have served the temple for several months with honor. Jack Spicer, I am offering you the chance to become a Wudai Warrior. At this stage, their will be much more expected of you. There will be a Wudai quest that you must complete in order to truly earn the new rank. I will assign it to you shortly."

"So I've heard," Jack mumbled.

"I figured that now was as good a time as any to reward you with your new sash. Wear it only with your monk uniform."

Another monk handed Master Fund a light blue sash.

"Do not let me be wrong about you now," Master Fung smiled as he held the sash out for Jack to take.

This was it. This was the moment he had been dreading for so long. He needed to be sure of one thing.

"Master Fung," Jack's voice shook, "Am I a chosen one?"

Master Fung looked at him crookedly, "No, but you have worked to earn your right to this…"

"What is the difference between a chosen one and a non-chosen one?"

"A chosen one is one who is born with certain qualities that this temple seeks in its pupils. A chosen one is recruited for their talents in the martial arts as well as their moral values. A non-chosen one is everyone else who just doesn't fit the ancient qualities of a Xiaolin Dragon."

"Does that mean I can never be a Dragon?"

Jack was almost completely zoned out.

Master Fung winced slightly, "It is written in the ancient scrolls that one who is not chosen by the temple but chooses to join our causes should be accepted as a student. However, only those who are truly chosen may ever become true Xiaolin Dragons."

Jack felt himself falling away from reality.

"So…"

"Wudai is your last stage. You are welcomed to stay and train, but know that you have gone as far as any non-chosen apprentice can. In that respect, you should be proud of yourself."

The words bounced off of Jack. So it _was_ true. He had half expected it to be true and was therefore ready for the disappointment. So why did it still hurt so much?

"Proud…" Jack repeated lifelessly.

He was frozen. He couldn't move his body. Everything was stiff.

"Will you take the sash?" Master Fung asked.

Jack's options played out in his mind.

"Can't you make an exception? You know, let me train further?"

Master Fung shook his head grimly, "What is written in the scrolls is ancient. We cannot deviate from tradition, even if you do reach the qualifications for the next level."

Jack's heart hurt. The dark side _did _have all the power. Jack looked around slowly. Nowhere did he see a bean waiting for him to turn. He didn't even see a crow or the Ying Ying bird. Evil was nowhere to be found. Jack sighed.

"Well?"

"Yeah, I'll take it."

Jack took the Wudai sash from Master Fung and, with a slight bow, left the chamber.

As Jack left, a foreboding feeling filled the chamber.

"We must alert the other monks," he said to no one in particular, "Something is amiss."


	37. Still Hope

He was sitting in his room gazing at the sash that laid before him on the floor. Despair filled his mind. If the other dragons found out, maybe they'd reject him as inferior. He knew he'd never hear the end of it from Omi.

"Stupid cheese puff," he mumbled.

Raimundo'd get a kick out of it. He could here it now.

"_Knew it was pointless to take Jack in…"_

He growled slightly.

Clay wouldn't really care. Jack had little interactions with the Dragon of Earth. He might pretend to care. Jack didn't care. Who he really cared about was Kimiko. He didn't want her to leave him… Not that they were together or anything… No, not at all. They were friends. Jack felt his face heat up. Rejection via Kimiko would be the worst.

But maybe there'd be no rejection. Maybe they wouldn't care. Yeah right, they were all power hungry in one way or another. To be associated with a maggot like himself may not be what the dragons wanted. He really didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay, but he wanted to be great, not evil. Evil was pointless. Jack shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, a sheet of paper slid in under his curtain.

" 'There is still hope…" Jack read aloud, "Meet me above for the help you seek…' Help? I don't need help."

He tossed the paper aside. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't help turning to look at it again.

"Above," he scoffed, "What does that even mean?"

Jack thought a moment. Drawing his curtain back, he looked across the hall and out the window the mountain near the temple.

"Above… Yeah right."

He closed the curtain again.

Jack put on his heli-bot and checked for the other monks before heading out to the courtyard and flying off to the peak.


	38. The Evil Within

It was cold. The pressure was terrible. His ears wouldn't pop and his nose wouldn't stop running. He sniffed and wiped it away. There was no one up here. Why had he bothered? Was he wrong about the location or wrong about everything?

"Shit," he sighed.

Jack slowly sat down and clasped his hands over his face.

"I'm screwed. I don't want to be evil, but I don't want to be stuck in second grade forever either…"

"Then I do believe that I have the solution to your problem."

Jack spun around.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"I want to help you. As a former evil cohort, I'd like to think of you as part of the insurance plan."

"How do you mean?"

"Your rejection from the Xiaolin Temple must've been devastating."

"I wasn't rejected!"

"You know it will happen though, don't you?"

"Listen," Jack said, pointing to his chest, "I don't plan on listening to some evil legume. So, get lost…"

"Or what?" Bean laughed, "You'll hurt me? Give me a boo-boo? My dear boy, I only want to help you."

"You want me to become evil!"

Hannibal snickered, "I want to give you the power you need to succeed."

"I've had enough. Between you and Chase, evil seems more obnoxious than dangerous."

Hannibal changed his tactics.

"Chase burned down your home," the bean reminded him, "Remember?"

"What? Of course I do, but…"

"Don't you want to get back at him?"

"Yeah, but…"

"You can't do that as a mere Wudai Dragon of Shadows. You must be stronger than him. Only a full dragon really stands a chance against him. You can never be that strong. Unless," Hannibal revealed a bowl of soup, "You drink this."

"Uh, not stupid! That's lao mang lon soup. That'll turn me completely evil. I'm not _that_ stupid, you hairless bean!"

"I see. Listen, I have a proposition for you," Hannibal pulled out another bowl of soup, "Drink the lao mang lon soup, become evil, defeat Chase, and, if you still want to be a goody-two-shoes Xiaolin Dragon, I'll change you back to your lame old self. Deal?"

"Sounds nice and all, but I have no reason to trust you…"

"Why not? We both want revenge against Chase Young. By working together, we can achieve success. I'm and honorable villain, honest. I take the code of evil very seriously. For instance, if, in your evil state, you tell me that you want to renounce your evils, I have to give you the antidote to the lao mang lon soup. It's an honor system."

"Then why do you want to get rid of Chase?"

"He turned on me. This is my one task for you. After that, we can either continue to work together to rule the world, or you can go back to being a useless Wudai wuss."

"I'm not a wuss!"

"So what do you say, boy?"

Jack thought a moment.

"How do you know that I won't turn on you?"

The bean laughed quietly to himself, "I just know that you won't. Call it Evil Intuition."

Jack thought a bit more.

"You will reverse the spell if I ask you to, won't you?"

"Listen, I'm so sure that you'll love your new evil powers that if you are in any way dissatisfied, I refund you your goodness in full."

"No risk?"

"None at all."

Jack turned to look down at the temple. He couldn't see it below the cloud line, but he knew it was there. Maybe if he defeated Chase, then became good again, he would be immediately promoted to the next level! This really _could_ work out to his advantage.

"Shake on it, Hannibal. I know you have tentacles, not hands, but it'll count anyway."

"Agreed."

Jack shook 'hands' with Hannibal and took the bowl of soup.

"I don't see the dragon in it," Jack observed.

"It's a new, more potent mixture. I made it so that you would be substantially stronger than Chase."

"Will the same antidote work with it?"

"I made a new antidote as well. That's what this is."

Jack looked into the other bowl. Instead of the green lao mang lon soup, it help a purple goop.

"You sure it'll work?"

"Absolutely."

Jack looked around. He really did want a second opinion, but he wasn't about to pass up this chance.

"Well, here goes…"

Jack put the bowl to his lips. It didn't smell the greatest, but he ignored that. Closing his eyes, Jack slowly drank the bowl of lao mang lon soup. With every gulp, he felt more and more power flow through him. It was like a terrible beast had woken up inside of him and clawed at his flesh to get out. Jack wanted to let it out so badly. With one last large gulp, Jack finished the bowl. For a moment, he froze. The bowl slipped from his fingers and shattered on the rocky ground. His pupils dilated then became small slits in his eyes. The pain was immense. Grabbing at his chest and stomach, Jack felt himself loosing control. Things began to spin around him. He felt his body physically change. The last thought that went through his mind before true evil consumed him was that Omi had nothing on him now. His whole body shifted into a serpent-like form. White with a red strip of fur that ran down his spine, he stood on two clawed feet. His legs were double jointed and he had long arms that draped against his side. Tiny red eyes stared from the inhuman face. A long tongue came out to taste the air. An intricate pattern covered his pale body. They were faces. The strange marks that had covered his face a few months ago now covered his entire evil entity.

"Perfect," Bean chuckled, "A shadow monster, just what I was hoping for. You," he called to it, "Destroy Chase Young! Oh, and take care of that miserable witch as well."

The creature that had once been Jack Spicer turned to Hannibal. With a slight nod, white, scaly wings sprouted from its back. Hannibal stood back and watched as his latest creation flew off to do his bidding.

"That's enough of you, Chase. You've had enough centuries to yourself. It's time that I took control once more."

The bean's terrible laughter made a nearby crow shudder.

"It's happened then."

Chase sat back in his throne.

"Spicer is now a terrible evil. One completely owned by the bean. This will not end well, for anyone."

"Chase, Chase!"

Wuya came running into the throne room.

"What is it, wench?"

"It's Hannibal, he's plotting against you!"

"You're a bit late, whelp. Bean has already converted Spicer."

"Oh," Wuya gulped.

"He'll be here any minute to destroy me. And you, most likely."

"So let me get this straight," she thought aloud, "No mater which side of evil I'm on, I'm screwed?"

"I believe that that is how it works out, Wuya."

"Boy it sucks having no powers…"

"Yes, well, leave me now. I must prepare for what is to come."

"Y-Yes of course," Wuya bowed slightly before wandering off into the palace.

"I pity you, Spicer," was all Chase said once he was left alone again.

A lonely tear fell from the crow's eyes.

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**A/N:** That's it for now, I think. I just happened to have a lot of free time today. Tomorrow'll be rough, so I really doubt that I'll get anything up. Thanks again for reading!


	39. Platypus

**A/N:** An almost pointless chapter...

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"Has anyone seen Jack?" Kimiko said as she reached the training grounds.

"Nah," Raimundo said, barely looking up from his magazine.

"I can't find him…"

"Why do you care?" Raimundo asked accusingly.

"It's just unlike him to miss breakfast _and_ lunch…"

"Kimiko," Clay turned from his ever important task of playing with toy cowboys, "I wouldn't worry about him…"

"He's useless anyway," Raimundo muttered.

"What?" Kimiko glared at him.

"Oh come on. What good was he really? Sure, he lightened the chores by being another apprentice, but that's it!"

"He won a lot of Shen Gong Wu," Clay explained.

Raimundo shook his head, "Sorry, guys, but let's just hope that Jack doesn't come back."

Kimiko cringed.

"I agree with Raimundo. Jack _is _our friend, but he is not worthy of the honor of Wudai warrior."

"Yeah, but didn't ya' hear?" Raimundo put the magazine down, "Jack's Wudai now. Master Fung felt bad, I guess. Anyway, there's no further that he can go. Wudai's the end of the line for him. So technically, he graduated, I guess."

"How do you know all that?" Kimiko glared at him.

"I used the Manchurian Musca to follow him into the meditation room."

"Rai! How could you do that? Spy on a fellow dragon!" Kimiko screamed.

"I recon that it ain't Raimundo," Clay explained, "It's Hannibal Roy Bean again in Rai's clothes. Go away, ya' nasty critter!"

Clay, Omi, and Kimiko took formations.

"That sounds right, Clay. You should try and come up with a better tactic than that, Hannibal!" Kimiko shouted

"Hannibal?" Rai's eyes bulged, "Me?"

"Do not play tricks with us, Mr. Bean, we know that it is you!" Omi pointed angrily at him, "Return our friends, Raimundo and Jack, and we will let you go!"

"You guys, it's really me! You mean you honestly can't tell the difference between and imposter and the real deal!"

"Fine," the formation lightened, "If you're really Rai, prove it!" Kimiko barked.

"How?" he squealed.

"Platypus!" Omi yelled

Rai bit his lip to stifle a laugh.

"Well that was dumb, Omi," Clay explained.

"Ah, it may seem dumb, but it is not Raimundo always laughs at that word. If it truly is Raimundo, he will, as you say, break up."

"Crack up, I think," Clay corrected.

"Platypus!" Omi screamed again.

"This is so stupid," Kimiko pinched the ridge of her nose.

Rai was on the brink of laughter.

"Lemme try. Platypus!" Clay called.

Tears welled in Rai's eyes.

"Oh my god…" Kimiko sighed.

"Platypus!"

Rai was on his side.

"Come on, Kimiko, give it a shot, it's fun!"

Kimiko growled, "Fine… Platypus," she scowled.

That was it, Rai broke up.

"I still don't see how this helps us any," Kimiko grimaced.

"You see, Hannibal Roy Bean could never understand the level of stimulation the word 'platypus' gives Raimundo," Omi explained.

"Okay," Kimiko said slowly, "That was only a little unconventional…"

"Indeed, but effective, no?"

Kimiko glared at Omi and walked off.

"You're an ass, Rai," she spat as she walked by him.


	40. Showdown

**A/N:** Get ready for some serious uploading!

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"Why hello, Spicer," Chase Young greeted the boy.

"I told you that I'd make you pay, Chase. So here I am to collect that payment."

Red, serpentine eyes bore into Chase. A wicked grin crossed the pale face. Fangs far larger than his were revealed.

"I will give you your payment, but it is not I who you should be seeking it from," Chase began.

"Then who?" Jack cocked his head to one side, still grinning wildly.

"I never thought you to be _this_ foolish. You trusted the bean and now you belong to him."

"I belong to no one!" Jack snarled.

"You are in his bondage. The soup he gave you was different from mine. You are his slave," Chase hissed.

"I am no one's slave! Shadows," two shadows appeared at Jack's side, "Hold him down for me."

"This is no longer a dream, Spicer. Destroying me is no longer just part of some whim," Chase growled.

Chase noticed two marks extend from the mark on the left side of Jack's face.

"I'm stronger than you, Chase," the Shadows advanced with Jack's words, "I can kill you."

"Sure enough, but at what price?"

"Satisfaction. Knowing that my hands brought you down…"

"Your soul, Spicer. You've sold it. Not even I did that."

"You're just scared," he laughed, "You're afraid to die. Don't deny it. You told me yourself, remember?"

"I don't wish to die, no. Scared, though, I am not."

"I want to make this quick. I think evil's giving me a rash. Pin him!"

The Shadows darted across the room and grabbed Chase's own shadow.

"I don't understand," he growled.

"Your shadow is a reflection of your soul…"

"Then how can you have one?"

"I don't have one, I have thousands!"

"They can't be yours! How? Where do you get them?"

"They come to me."

Jack raised his hands in the air. The entire wall behind him became blacked out with shadows, the light itself couldn't even shine through. When Jack lowered his arms, he wasn't the same. Lines danced across his face. Laughing and screaming. His red hair rippled with a force of energy that flowed through his body. The spines and spikes returned to his wardrobe. The two bones on his shoulders sprung out and bent over his head.

"This is what I am, Chase. Nothing, but a shadow."

Sharp white teeth glowed in his darkened face. The red eyes made it all the worse.

"My minions, give me his powers!"

Wild black wisps swarmed around Chase. Not a single one actually touched him, but the longer they were around him, the weaker he felt.

"Drain him!"

"Wouldn't… killing me yourself be more… gratifying?" Chase said as he slowly crumpled to the ground.

"The more they suck from you, the stronger I am. Perhaps I will keep your pathetic self as a pet. After all, murdering someone so much weaker than myself just seems wrong."

And then he laughed.

Chase tried to change into his monstrous form, but it only lasted a second before that power was gone too. In one last attempt to free himself, Chase Young went to the only people he knew could help…


	41. Save the Universe

**A/N: **Nevermind, I didn't finish the other chapter yet...

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A few days after Jack had gone missing, something strange happened at the Xiaolin Temple. A man showed up on the training grounds. Clutching his chest, he reached out to the young warriors.

"Chase Young?" Omi recognized him.

As he nodded, the others took formation.

"I need your help…"

"Why have you come here, Chase?" Kimiko snarled.

"It's Spicer…"

"Where is he?" Kimiko felt weakened.

"Here, with me."

"But," Omi was confused, "You are right here…"

"This is all that is left of my strength. He is leeching it from me. I," Chase got down on his knees, "As a warrior, help me. Jack is too strong. The balance of good and evil will be corrupted and the world will not fall into darkness, but be completely annihilated. Maybe you," he looked to Kimiko, "Can help him understand," Chase's eyes slid to half mass, "Before he drains my very life… Ugh…" Chase collapsed and the image was gone.

"We must stop Jack Spicer," Omi announced.

"How can we do that?" Kimiko shrugged, "If he's stronger than Chase?"

"Perhaps, as Chase said, words can bring Jack back to us," Omi explained.

"I say we forget about it," Rai said casually.

"What!" Everyone exclaimed.

"I mean, it's just Spicer. He'll screw it all up somehow. All on his own. Without… our… help… heh…"

Three angry faces glared at Rai.

"It is the balance of the entire universe that we are talking about!" Omi bellowed.

"Oh, alright. Let's go save the world, I mean universe. That is our job right?"

With one last glare from Kimiko, they were off with Dojo.


	42. The Death of Hannibal Roy Bean

**A/N:** I was pretty damn hungry when I wrote this, you'll see the influence. Anyway, to be safe, I'm caling this chapter out as being rated M. Starts dark, stays dark, and ends stupidly. Sorry 'bout the ending, it went according to plan, but it still sucks. However, fear not! The angst is not over yet! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (coughs, shokes, dies) Enjoy!

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Landing outside Chase's lair, the dragons found the door wide open. They charged up and into the throne room.

"Welcome," a voice far more chilling than Chase's met their ears.

Sitting sideways on the throne with his legs over one arm rest and his head resting on the other, Jack glanced at them. He grinned widely; a thin tongue flicking out as he did.

"So what brings you here?" he said, jumping from the throne, "Come to take me back?"

"Take you back? We never chased you off!" Kimiko was caught off guard.

"You _were_ going to, but now you don't have to! Chase is out of the picture now. I'm sure that makes me an exception to the Xiaolin rules. I'll be the same rank as you in no time!"

"That's great," Kimiko smiled, "Now come back with us…"

"Umm… No, I think I won't."

"What?"

"I can crush you. Smother you. Annihilate you! Why sink to be like you! I own you! Pledge your loyalties to me and you won't end up like Chase," Jack pointed to a corner of the hall.

There he was. Chase Young. The epitome of evil lying crumpled in a corner with a dog collar around his neck and a chain binding him to the wall. The dragons turned back to Jack with fear. A wicked smile crossed his face.

"So how 'bout it? Hm? How 'bout you Kimiko?"

"Huh?" she shrieked.

"Give me your loyalties and you won't have to suffer," his smile softened.

"No way!" she growled, "You may have gone sour, but you're not taking anyone down with you!"

"But… I thought you liked me? I'm powerful now. I can protect you in ways you could never imagine," he held out his hand and a green flame flickered up in it.

Kimiko stepped back.

"What's wrong?" he closed his hand.

"You're evil, Jack. I… I can't care about you!"

"But…" Jack's arm dropped to his side, "You were the only one who cared…"

"And you threw that away for an empty promise!"

His heart snapped. In an attempt to make them proud of him, he became conceited. How could he even think of turning any of them evil? He hated them now. He scowled at her.

"If I return to good, I lose these powers and go back to being worthless, but, I get you back, right?"

"Get me back? Jack, you never had me…"

Jack's eyes widened and then became tiny pools of enraged hatred.

"Then die."

"Maybe there was hope for something, but there isn't now!"

"Even if I go back?"

"You can't…"

"There's an antidote, the bean had it…"

"You trusted that bean and traded in all the time you spent with us for power?" Kimiko was nearly in tears, "Everything that was ever good about you is gone, Jack! Gone!"

"If I wanted it back, I could get it…"

"You're a traitor!"

"You never said that to Raimundo any of the times he crossed over…"

"You drank the lao mang lon soup, Jack! You are a traitor!" her face was on fire.

There was a pause.

"Then that's it," Jack said softly, "You have to die now."

Darkness covered the walls. The swirls of faces covered Jack's face. A thousand shadows swarmed around him.

"I just wanted to be worth something…"

A tear dribbled down his cheek.

"Kill them," he murmured.

"Not so fast."

Everyone looked up. In through the ruins flew Hannibal Roy Bean on the Ying Ying Bird's back.

"That's enough Jack."

Jack's eyes dulled and the swarms of shadows disappeared. He slumped over lifelessly.

"It's a pleasure to see you all here in my new home. I see you've met the newest addition to the Heylin cast. Jack really is a good boy. He's done so very well, what with getting rid of Chase for me and all. Hehe. Jack," Jack turned slowly to the bean, "Show them your… evil side!"

Jack burst into his serpentine form. The clothes tore from his body and laid in tatters on the floor.

"_Now_ kill them. Make it interesting, my pet. Heh."

A long tongue slipped from Jack's lips.

"Die," he hissed.

Jack lunged at Raimundo. Pinning him to the ground, Jack let his tongue run over Rai's face.

"Mmmm…"

As his jaw snapped open, the other dragons lunged at Jack, knocking him from Rai's body.

"Did he just try to…"

"Shut up Rai and help us!" Kimiko screamed as they grappled with Jack's flailing body.

Omi made a dive for Jack's face, but the demon bucked him off. Omi flew across the room, landing near Chase.

"Omi…"

"Chase Young?" Omi whispered loudly.

"Get the lao mang lon soup… My kind…" he breathed

"But, Jack is already evil…"

"No… I believe that if he consumes the real thing, he will… be free of the bean's hold…"

"How…"

"I know you can, Omi, just do it…" Chase let his head sink to the floor again.

Omi nodded and headed for Chase's pantry.

"Typhoon Boom!"

"Judulette Flip!"

"Seismic Kick!"

"Shadow Eclipse!"

"It's too much," Kimiko moaned, "He has the strength of two Heylin warriors as well as all those shadows…"

"So, basically, we're screwed," Rai noted as he struggled back to his feet.

"Not yet!" Clay exclaimed.

"Clay's right. Wudai Orion Formation!" Kimiko yelled.

Jack stood back by Hannibal and watched as the Omi-less formation fell to pieces.

"Where's Omi?" Kimiko screamed.

Hannibal and Jack laughed madly.

"Now that was most amusing. Where is our little yellow friend? Why don't you go find him, Jack. I'll keep the warriors company."

A toothy grin crossed Jack's lips.

"Let me kill them," he rasped.

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance."

Jack nodded and bounded off after Omi.

Omi was just emptying a can of lao mang lon soup into a bowl when Jack appeared.

"Omi…" he hissed.

"Y-You must be hungry, Jack Spicer. How about some lao mang lon soup?" Omi grinned stupidly.

"How 'bout I eat you?" Jack cocked his head to one side.

"Me?" Omi screeched, "Oh, I am most unappetizing, but this soup looks pretty good…"

"I think you look better…"

Jack lunged at Omi. Omi dodged him, sending him careening into a wall. On impact, Jack turned to his human form again.

"You sure you don't want some of this wonderful soup for dinner?" Omi smiled again.

"No, Omi, I want you for dinner," Jack said as he rubbed his red head.

"You cannot eat me! I am human like you are…"

Jack grinned, "I'm something greater than human."

Jack snapped his fingers and a bunch of shadows surrounded Omi. Omi looked around nervously for an escape.

"Repulse the Monkey!"

Omi broke through the crowd of shadows and ran to the throne room. There he found his friends sprawled across the floor and the bean wiping his tentacles together. Jack came in right behind him.

"None of that crap!" he shouted, "You're mine, Omi!"

Jack charged Omi once more, this time shifting into his monstrous form halfway. Just as his mouth snapped open, Omi flung the contents of the bowl into him. Choking and sputtering, Jack fell back. Lying on the ground, he clenched the sides of his head and moaned in agony.

"What have you done!" the bean yelled.

"I have simply given him some lao mang lon soup," Omi grinned.

"You what?" Rai moaned from the floor.

"You fool!" Hannibal bellowed.

"Ugh…" Jack was slowly getting to his feet, "My head… Wh-what's going on? Where am I?"

Jack looked around and found the bean at his side.

"Finish them," it hissed.

"Who?"

"Them!" Hannibal motioned to the Xiaolin Worriors who were now getting to their feet as well.

"I…"

Jack caught a glimpse of the pain in their eyes and everything came rushing back to him.

"I'm free…" was all he said as he turned to the bean, "Give me the antidote!"

"Heh," the bean laughed nervously, "Why would I do that?"

"Because you swore you would if I wanted it," Jack stuck out a hand.

"Not gonna happen! Ying Ying!"

The bird swooped down, but it wasn't quick enough. In one hand, Jack held the bird, in the other, he held Hannibal.

"Tell me the truth, you disgusting freak of nature! Who killed my parents!"

"Chase, of course," Hannibal smiled nervously.

"Liar! You did it!"

"How… How could you…"

"I know that you are lying. You killed them to throw me into a living hell!

"Now, now," Hannibal tried to calm him.

"No. Chase was right, you killed them. I see it… I see it in your pathetic mind. You wanted nothing more than to get rid of Chase once and for all. I was nothing put a pawn. Well, watch that backfire in your face! Hand over the antidote or I'll kill you…"

"Kill me?" Hannibal laughed, "You can't kill me, I made you!"

"Watch me," Jack grinned.

"Y-You wouldn't…" Hannibal was nearly shaking, "I own you!"

"Not any more."

Jack threw the bird aside and brought Hannibal to eye level.

"I own you now. Remember, Hannibal, you made me stronger than Chase. I'm not going to make the same mistake he made by simply banishing you," a long tongue came out of his mouth and licked his lips, "I'm going to destroy you."

Hannibal squirmed free and bounced to the floor.

"Ying Ying!' he called in desperation.

Jack grinned as he turned into his demonic form. Just as Hannibal jumped onto Ying Ying's back, Jack's tongue flicked out and caught him in mid air. As quick as it came out of his mouth, it went back it, this time with Hannibal. With a hard gulp, Hannibal was gone.

Silence filled the room. None of its six occupants said anything. Jack turned human again.

"Dude," Rai slurred, "You _ate_ Hannibal Roy Bean! Why didn't anyone else think to do that?"

"Because who knows where that gross thing had been," Kimiko gagged.

Jack licked his lips, "Tasted like a day old burrito."

The dragons shuttered.

"I don't think even I would've eaten something as disgusting as Hannibal Roy Bean," Clay chuckled.

"Well I did, okay? Besides, I wouldn't be making fun of me. I _am_ all-powerful still."

"True," Omi said slowly, "But do you want to be good again?"

Jack looked across the room at Chase then back at the other warriors. Tears welled in his eyes.

"I should never've left you guys," he wept.

"You know," Rai said methodically, "Your plan was initially to get rid of Chase because he killed your parents, which he didn't. But you ended up destroying the greatest evil this world has ever known. Now, does that count as a Wudai quest?"

"I think so," Omi said slowly.

"What does it matter?" Jack grinned, "I can never be anything better than Wudai. I should've just been happy as I was, but I wasn't. I'm sorry I let my greed take me over…"

"Well, this is great and all, but Jack, you're still evil," Clay pointed out.

"But he obviously wasn't meant to be," they heard Chase rasp from across the room, "The balance must be set right again," Chase explained as they approached him, "Jack is strong even without the power of the lao mang lon soup. He is a valuable ally. Besides," he sighed, "I need my powers back, or I'll die…"

"Here," Jack bent over and put his hand on Chase's forehead, "These are yours."

A burst of energy filled Chase Young's body. It was the power of his first bowl of lao mang lon soup all over again. Once the pain subsided, color returned to his face and he broke free of the chains Jack had bound him by.

"Yes," Chase mumbled, "They are."

Jack offered him a hand to shake, but Chase grasped his wrist and sent him flying across the room.

"That felt good," Chase murmured, "I find it interesting," he began as Jack struggled to his feet, "That not even the power of the real lao mang lon soup cannot corrupt you completely. Perhaps there is more to you, Jack Spicer, than I had ever assumed."

"Yeah," Jack laughed, "Well, being evil is fun and all, but… I wanna be good again! I'm no good at being evil…"

"Then I will help you find the antidote," Chase offered.

"Really? That's great. Let's get a move on then!"

As they hurried to the door of the cave, Jack tripped and a bolt of energy flew from his finger tips, shattering the stony door.

Chase went pale.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm no good at being evil…"

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**MissKeith** I just wanted to make sure that you understood that responce I sent you about _Ecstacy_. Seemed a bit confusing to me now that I think of it... lol


	43. Interrogation of the Ying Ying Bird

**A/N:** This and the next chapter required a lot of thought. Please let me know if they make no sense together as a whole...

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Chase and Jack followed the monks back to the temple. As they walked through the front gates, twelve old monks, lead by Master Fung wielding a wooden staff, appeared to halt their progression.

"Evil shall not enter this place," Master Fung warned them.

"Calm yourself, old monk. We are here for the Tongue of Tsaiping," Chase explained calmly.

"Yeah," Jack said, holding forward the Ying Ying bird he managed to catch before they left, "I need to talk to this bird."

The Ying Ying bird squawked and squirmed in his hand.

"That is Hannibal Roy Bean's bird," one of the monks noticed.

Master Fung lowered his staff.

"Jack?"

Jack stepped forward and stood before Master Fung, "Yes," he bowed his head.

Master Fung winced in pain.

Jack felt the old monk's disappointment. It was potent; slowing from his old body. Jack winced at him.

"I… I made a mistake…"

Chase heard Jack struggle with his words.

"He wishes to banish his evils," Chase explained.

"He can only do that of his own will," Master Fung said softly.

"Yeah, but I want to get rid of my powers too…"

"That can never happen. You will always have the scars of evil…"

"Not if I find the antidote," Jack chirped.

"Antidote?"

"Yeah, Hannibal made an antidote for the lao mang lon soup. Something that turns you back to how you were before you drank it."

Master Fung hung his head low.

"So you must ask the Ying Ying bird where Hannibal hid the cure, that is why you need the Tongue of Tsaiping…" he paused. Jack was sure he'd have to use force. "I will give it to you," Master Fung continued, "But only one of the dragons can speak to it."

"But…" Jack began, but Chase silenced him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Agreed."

Jack looked down at the ground in disappointment.

"Kimiko," he mumbled, "I want her to speak to it."

Master Fung nodded solemnly. He turned and lead the others into the temple, straight to the meditation room and down into the vault.

"Here it is," Master Fung held the Tongue of Tsaiping to Kimiko, "Use it wisely."

Kimiko nodded. Taking Jack by the arm, she lead him to the training grounds. The others stood back And watched Kimiko and Jack sit down on the grass from across each other. Jack held out the bird for Kimiko to talk to. She was lifting the Shen Gong Wu to her mouth when she stopped. Her eyes were locked on Jack's marked up face. The shadows were still on it moving around. She sighed.

"Jack," she murmured, "If being good again is so important to you," she held out the Wu, "Then you should be responsible enough to do this yourself."

Jack's eyes were burning. He sniffed and gave her a nod. Reaching out tenderly with his free hand, Jack took the Tongue of Tsaiping from Kimiko.

"Tongue of Tsaiping!" he hollered, "Ying Ying bird," he said into it, "I have killed your master so it is I who you obey now."

"Not a chance," the bird squawked, "You wish to leave the darkness. I'll give you now held in doing so."

"Do you wish to suffer the same fate as your master?"

"I am loyal to the bean, not some pathetic teenager."

"I can kill you…"

"Go ahead. I don't plan on telling you anything."

Jack removed the Wu from his lips. Looking down at the scowling Ying Ying bird then back at Kimiko he said, "This isn't going to work. I need the Ying-Yang Yo-Yo."

"Why?" Kimiko asked.

"I have to turn the bird good, but remain balanced."

The Ying Ying bird flailed violently in Jack's grasp, but to no avail.

Kimiko nodded and ran back into the temple, forcing her way through Chase and the other dragons.

Jack sat sadly out in the training grounds praying that this would work. The bird _was_ pure evil. What if it didn't have a good chi? It wouldn't exist. Everything is made up of good and evil, otherwise there'd be nothing.

Kimiko ran back out with the Ying-Yang Yo-Yo.

"I only need the Yang Yo-Yo," Jack said softly.

Kimiko nodded and pulled the two Wu apart.

"Here," she wheezed.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Jack struggled to his feet and faced the others.

"Why don't you just go in and come back out good?" Kimiko asked softly at his side.

"Because I wouldn't be whole. Yang Yo-Yo!"

A vortex ripped open before him.

"I'll be back for the Ying Yo-Yo!"

With the Ying Ying bird in hand, Jack jumped through the portal.


	44. Yang Yang

**A/N: **Here's my twisted logic: The Lao Mang Lon soup gives you demonic powers. I reasoned that if you go into the Ying Yang world using only one of the yo-yo's as a demon you'd come out, well, angelic. I'll leave him like this for a while. Poor Jack, after all this, I'll be surprised if he doesn't become bi-polar. lol, listen to me, commenting on my own story... tsk tsk, Cara...

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In the Ying Yang world, Jack still held the Ying Ying bird. Lifting the Tongue of Tsaiping to his lips, he tried negotiations once more.

"Care to tell me where the antidote is before you become pure good?"

"The same will happen to you when you go back through the portal, so what's the difference?" the bird screeched.

"I'll come back for my other half, but you will not."

"What is the polar opposite of pure evil?" the bird asked methodically.

"Pure good," Jack answered simply, "But nothing is that simple."

"Then what is the opposite of a demon?"

"An angel," Jack rasped.

"Hm," Ying Ying nodded.

"If you tell me what I want to know, I'll let you remain evil."

"'Let me'? I don't need your charity."

"Then we shall return. Yang Yo-Yo!"

A portal ripped open before Kimiko. Out stepped a creature unlike anything she had seen before. A tall creature wearing white armor similar to what Jack had on, with flaming red hair stood before her. Its eyes were soft and kind. From behind, the others saw the wings folded behind its back.

"Yang Yang," it said softly, "Tell me what I need to know."

It released the bird that was in its hand. A beautiful dove with blue stripes flew into the air.

"The land of Nowhere at the base of the tree with seven knots, that is where you must go, though you will not find what you are looking for."

"What do you mean?"

"Not everything is as it seems," the Yang Yang bird sang before flying off into the sky, "Farewell," it chirped.

"J-Jack?" Kimiko asked timidly.

"Yes," he breathed.

"What… What happened?"

"Give me the Ying Yo-Yo. I cannot stay this way…"

Kimiko scoffed, "Why not? You're pure good! You're… You're an angel for god's sakes!"

"It's as bad as being pure evil. I… I just want to be normal again… As normal as normal is…"

"It may be better this way, for now," Chase said as he walked over to him, "Without the voices of the shadows, perhaps focus is will come easier. I believe that that will be most necessary for finding where it is we seek to go."

Jack looked to the ground, "Perhaps," he turned to Chase, "We are now _truly _equals," Jack smiled.

"Well," Rai clapped his hands, "This is interesting and all, but we have an antidote to find."

"You are right," Chase turned to him, "I know the land of Nowhere very well. This tree with seven knots should not be too hard to find."

Dojo appeared and turned into his larger self.

"Hop on," he called, "We got a tree to find."

Chase and the other dragons hopped onto Dojo's back. Jack just spread his wings and followed them into the land of Nowhere.


	45. Candle Wax

**A/N:** Angel Jack didn't last as long as I wanted him to. I couldn't make him work. In all my infinite imagination, a super-good Jack just couldn't work. Like... he could never be uber good... (OH NO!) Jack's character doesn't provide well for an all-knowing angelic type. Oh well, maybe I'll try it again in a different fic. Watch out people, here comes **_Angel Jack Goes to the Mall_**! A new fic by the Jackophile! Coming soon to FanFiction!

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The land of Nowhere was a treacherous place. It was lucky for the others that Chase knew it so well. They searched high and low for a tree with seven knots, but nowhere did they find one.

"Maybe it's metaphorical," Kimiko suggested.

"Please no," Rai whined, "I hate metaphors.

"No, it is a factual location somewhere around here," Chase growled.

Chase was done baby sitting the four dragons and their misaligned friend. He wanted to find the antidote and get rid of Jack. As soon as the twit was normal again, he'd be of no significance to Chase. He looked forward to having the world of evil all to himself.

"There!" Omi shouted.

Everyone broke out and ran over to the tree in question.

"One… two… three… four… five… six… Six? I am sorry, but there are only six knots in this one."

"What about that one?" Kimiko pointed out another.

Omi went over to count the knots.

"One… two… three… four… five… six… seven…" Omi counted, "Seven! We have found the tree seven knots!"

"Uh, Omi," Rai sighed, "There's another knot. That makes eight."

"Oh, my badness…"

"So wait," Clay said as he scratched his head, "There's a tree with six knots, a tree with eight knots, but none with seven?"

"I found it!"

Everyone turned to find Jack standing up on a cliff holding a large earthenware bowl.

"Hurry up and drink it then," Chase rasped.

Jack brought the bowl to his lips and drank some of its contents.

"Ugh," he threw the bowl to the ground, "That's not right…"

Chase walked to the foot of the cliff and picked up the bowl that had rolled down. He sniffed its contents then stuck a finger into the purple goo.

"This is no antidote," Chase hissed, "It is nothing more than candle wax…"

"What?" Jack spat, "Candle wax?"

"Yes, just ordinary candle wax," Chase tasted a bit, "Lavender scented."

Jack's jaw dropped. The purple wax that caked his teeth glowed from his pale face.

"No," Jack cried, "No," he wept, "NO NO NO NO NO!"

The monks looked amongst themselves and then back up at the despairing figure on the cliff.

"It was foolish to trust the bean," Chase murmured, tossing the bowl aside.

"Then what can we do?" Omi asked innocently

"There is nothing we can…" Chase paused a moment, "Wait… There _is _one thing, but you must not tell Spicer."

"Why not?" Omi asked.

"He needs to reach a level of desperation that will let the necessary series of events unfold on their own."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kimiko cringed.

"In his lost state, he must find his way to the Grand Master Dashi himself… It is the only way he can banish his evils for good.

When they looked back up the cliff, Jack was gone. A portal ripped open before them, and Evil Jack walked out.

"Are you whole?" Chase asked casually.

"Yeah. I went back and got my other half. I didn't want to cry alone…"

Jack sniffed and wiped his nose on the cloth part of his sleeve.

"Personally," Rai chimed in, "I like you better with all the bones sticking out rather than wings."

"Yeah I guess," Jack sighed, "But the voices are back… It was nice without them…"

Kimiko walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," she cooed, "Things'll get better."

"How _can_ they?" Jack cried.

"Well," Clay said softly, "In my experience, once you hit rock bottom, there's nowhere you can go but up. And you, my friend, have hit rock bottom."

Jack smiled, "Yeah, but it can still get worse…"

"Not if you don't let it," Kimiko smiled.

"I guess," Jack wheezed.

There was a long awkward pause during which Chase rolled his eyes several times.

"I'm hungry," Jack mumbled, "Not to mention exhausted… I just want to sleep… Forever…"

Jack's eyes slid shut and he collapsed to the ground.

"I will take him for now," Chase said as he slung Jack's unconscious body over his shoulder, "He would not be accepted back at the temple. He will return to you when the time is right."

There was a silent agreement before Chase set off for his ruins.

"Well that was a worthless trip," Rai sighed as he got onto Dojo's back.

"Yeah, Rai's got a point. Jack's no better. We got to see his uber good side, but that's it…" Kimiko sighed.

"It's a good thing he changed back. Watching him feed all those birds was getting on my nerves…" Rai scoffed.

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**A/N:** I was kidding about that fic stuff... I think...


	46. Finding His Way

It was two weeks later that Jack woke up on the floor of Chase Young's dungeon. Stumbling to his feet, jack walked over to the stone door that held him in. With a slight touch, it slid open and Jack was free. Looking around nervously, Jack left his cell and headed for Chase's lair above. He exited the dungeon into Chase's throne room where, upon the throne, sat Chase.

"Care for a bowl?" he lifted some lao mang lon soup in Jack's direction.

Jack was hungry, but he really didn't want any of the evil soup. He shook his head gently and went further into the room.

"You slept for a very long time…"

"I'm so sore…"

"That's from lying on a rock floor for two weeks. Have some soup. It'll at least ease your muscles."

Jack reluctantly took the bowl from Chase.

"You need it to live, Jack. As long as you're evil, you _must_ drink the soup or you will begin to fail."

Jack looked over the brim of the bowl at Chase.

"I don't want to be evil, though…"

Closing his eyes, he finished the bowl.

Chase closed his eyes in thought.

"It takes a certain kind of strength to reject evil."

"I guess," Jack sighed, "You gonna eat this?"

Jack held the dragon's tail up for Chase to examine.

"I've had better. You can eat it."

Jack grinned as he sucked it down. After a momentary sense of satisfaction, Jack sat down beside Chase's throne.

"Chase," he mumbled, "Not that it matters in this world, but… I'm sorry…"

Chase looked down at his smaller counterpart. For some reason, his voice was trapped in his throat. He wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say. Should he be his usual callous self or accept the boy's offering? Instead, he chose silence. Better he give off no impression than the wrong one.

Jack felt the cold silence and simply looked down into his empty bowl.

"Chase," his voice cracked, "You know this stuff better than I do."

"And?"

"_Is_ there anyway I can be… normal again?"

"You mean your ordinary, obnoxious, teenaged self?"

"yeah…" Jack choked, "I'm tired of the voices. I'm tired of never being alone. I'm tired of the shadows…"

"Unfortunately, you will _always_ be the Dragon of Shadows. Perhaps when you make the final journey to normality, your mind will be allowed to rest."

"So," Jack's eyes widened, "There is a way?"

"A grueling one, but yes."

"Tell me Chase!" he jumped to his feet, "Tell me!" he grabbed Chase's collar and drew him in close.

"It is a path you must find on your own, Jack. I cannot tell you the way…"

Jack felt himself weaken. He let go of Chase and stepped back a bit.

"On… On my own?"

"No one can help you with this task. The right idea will come to you in time. I recommend that you meditate on this until it does."

"How will I know what the 'right idea' is?"

"You just will, trust me. If you cannot determine your fate, then neither can anyone else."

Jack looked down at his feet.

"Can I get a room?" he asked suddenly, "A _real_ room? One that has a bed. I don't think sleeping on a rock floor is any good for my back."

Chase wanted to laugh, but instead he pinched the bridge of his nose to hide his smile.

"Fine, one of my cats will take you to a room."

A black leopard approached Jack and led him out of the throne room.

"Thanks," Chase heard the boy call back to him as he left the throne room.

"No," Chase mumbled, "Thank _you_."


	47. The Answer

His mind was buzzing. He needed to find a way to reverse his terrible mistake. He couldn't take the voices anymore. He had begun to yell back at them. Chase suggested that he go on a journey to find his way because simply sitting around solved nothing. Jack put together some food and set out in search of whatever it was he was looking for.

It was a day before he realized that he was completely lost. He had no lead. He had no clue. He was wandering aimlessly and nothing looked familiar. He sighed as he put his sack down before him and opened a can of lao mang lon soup. As he ate, he thought. He figured that if he kept wondering, something familiar would eventually show up, at least he hoped so. When he was finished, he stood up and continued walking.

Fate brought him to a ridge above the Xiaolin temple. He sat down again and looked down at the colorful building. He wanted so badly to go back there. To be a dragon again. To be a normal human being again. And then he meditated upon how relative the word "normal" really was. He chuckled.

As night fell, Jack closed his eyes. He didn't sleep, but rather, he meditated. His mind wandered to the thousands of possibilities that could lead to the cure. His mind drifted across the world, but it landed softly back at the Xiaolin Temple. His answer was there. Somewhere… Somewhere among the good was the answer to his evils. Before he woke, a face flashed through his mind.

"Dashi," he hissed as his eyes shot open.

He had only seen the grandmaster once, but once was enough. He laughed. There was _no_ way that the Grandmaster Dragon of the Xiaolin Temple would _ever_ help someone as lowly and pathetic as Jack. It was in that instant that he gave up. Dashi was a being that was everywhere. Like God only more finite. There was no way Jack could ever get in contact with such a force. Besides, that force would never help him. Jack sighed. So that was it. He stood up slowly and turned from the temple. A tear dripped down his cheek as he resigned himself to a life of evil. A life where he could never call the Xiaolin Dragons friends. Now, they'd always be his enemies…

"_I wouldn't give up before you even tried…"_

It was one of the voices in his head.

"Oh yeah? Why bother trying something that you know for a fact you'll fail at? Huh? What's the point?"

"_How do you know that you will fail?"_

"I'm Jack Spicer, that's how I know…"

"_Well, if you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you…"_

"What?"

But the voice was gone.

"Was that…"

It _had_ been a calmer, kinder voice than the usual angry shouting. Could it truly have been the Grandmaster himself? Jack laughed.

"Yeah right."

But the voice was right. He was evil and unless this worked, there was no going back. So why not give it a shot? No dragon had seen the ghost of Dashi in centuries, but Jack Spicer was going to visit him tomorrow.


	48. The End?

It was dawn. Navigating the lighted darkness was simple for a shadow demon like Jack. He dodged monks and dragons alike, none noticed him as he entered the meditation room. Jack walked across the room to the large cauldron in the center. Jack rested his hands on the brim and began thinking about how he was going to summon the spirit of the Great Dashi. He thought, but nothing came to him. Despair filled him. He felt weak and pathetic. He felt less than insignificant. He felt like nothing. Another tear came from his eye. It dribbled down his cheek and dripped off his chin onto the brim of the cauldron. It slid down into the weakly glowing embers.

"Jack!" he heard a familiar voice shout at him.

He was caught and it was over. Jack's legs let out and he slid to the ground, still clutching to rim of the cauldron.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" it was Kimiko.

"I give up," he sighed pathetically, "I want to be good. Every bit of my black heart wants to be good… But I've sealed my fate," Jack stood up, "Good bye, Kimiko. I'm sorry I let you and the others down."

Jack was walking out of the chamber when another voice called to him.

"I wouldn't be leaving so soon."

Jack spun around to find a puff of smoke rising from the cauldron.

"Oh my…" Kimiko was silenced as the smoke took the form of the greatest man who ever lived.

"M-Master Dashi," Jack walked over slowly before collapsing to his knees, "it's such an honor…"

"It's _Grand_master, and yeah, it's an honor."

"Oh my God, I can't believe that you've come here just for me…"

"This is beyond you, Jack. I _have_ been watching you, however. You _are_ a worthy opponent/ally when you have the motivation. I have heard your plea for normality, and this I will give you."

Jack's eyes lightened. This deity seemed far greater than even Hannibal Bean. Jack felt embarrassed that he had ever held that wretched fruit in any form of regard.

"But listen to me. It will not be easy. The balance of good and evil is disrupted by your presence; therefore, you must be sure that the side you chose is the one you shall remain loyal to for the rest of your days."

"I choose good!"

"Are you very sure that that is what you want?"

Jack looked back at the doorway. Now it was occupied by the other dragons as well.

"I want to be where I can have friends. I want to know that I have people who care about me. The only place I ever found that, was here. Grandmaster Dashi, I want to abandon to powers of the lao mang lon soup."

"Very well," the ghost nodded, "I will take away your evil, but only _you_ can banish it."

"Banish it?"

"You must send it away from this realm. It will always exist, but as long as it doesn't exist here, the balance will be restored."

Jack sighed, "How do I banish it?"

"I will give it form. You must fight its powers and vanquish it. In doing so, you prove to all laws of balance that you have rejected your evils."

"But… I just want to be normal…"

"You will, in time. But now you must destroy your evil."

Jack swallowed hard.

"Are you ready?"

Jack looked back at the doorway again. Now there were several old monks behind the Dragons. Jack found Master Fung and smiled to him.

"I am," he said to Dashi.

"Then here is your one weapon against it," from the ether, Dashi pulled a white dagger, "Use this for the final blow."

"I… Okay…"

Dashi nodded and closed his eyes. He clasped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart. As he did, Jack felt a part of himself being torn away. It was a terrible feeling. At one point, Jack felt sorry for every piece of paper he had ever torn in half. Suddenly, Dashi's hands jerked apart and Jack collapsed to the floor. As he struggled back to his feet, he was looking into the eyes of his demonic form.

"Vanquish it," Dashi commanded.

The terrible thing just smiled at him. Jagged teeth lined its large mouth. Jack saw himself for the first time. It was hideous; he couldn't wait to be rid of it…

"B-be gone!" he shouted.

It cocked its head to one side.

"Leave this place."

The wicked smile grew.

"I banish you…" Jack was losing.

"No," the voice echoed, "I banish you."

With its mouth opened wide, it charged jack. Stumbling out of the way, jack turned to find it directly in front of him again.

"G-go away!"

"No, you go away," it tried to bite his head, but Jack got away.

Landing next to the cauldron, Jack looked helplessly up at Dashi.

"There is nothing I can do. You must defeat it yourself."

Jack jumped to his feet only to find that it was gone. The room was empty except for the crowd in the doorway which had gathered one Chase Young.

"Is it…"

Something wrapped around Jack's leg and pulled it out from beneath him. Jack fell to the ground letting the dagger slip from his fingers. He crawled after it, but a heavy force held him down. Jack looked over his shoulder at his demon. It licked its lips as it gazed at him with its beady eyes.

"It's over now," it hissed, "You lose."

Jack struggled to grab the blade as the beast pulled him closer to itself.

"No," he wept as he tried to pull away again.

It was no use, the creature had him. Jack went limp as he looked into the pain in the others eyes. Chase himself had fear written across his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as darkness consumed him.

Dashi looked away sadly as Jack's evil devoured him. It was over fairly quickly, but it had taken nearly forever for those who had to watch as the last of Jack got sucked down by the serpentine demon. Pure evil had triumphed over innocence. It was a bad sign for the balance of all things.

The demon stood a moment in silence before breaking out into terrible laughter.

"I win," its voice echoed as it turned to Dashi, "Your world of perfect Ying and Yang is gone, Dashi. I _am_ evil. My reign of darkness has already begun!"

As it laughed, it turned to its human form.

"What's this?" it said as it approached the fallen weapon, "A dagger? What good would that have been? If you ask me, Dashi," it sighed contently, "You set him up for failure and I have to thank you for that. Because now that I'm free, consider the world mine."

Kimiko turned away to face Chase.

"We're doomed, aren't we?" she murmured.

"Not yet," Chase growled, "There is still hope."

"How?" Raimundo turned around, "Jack got eaten by his own evil."

"Yeah, this don' look so good," Clay added.

"But he is still alive. Just trapped."

"Yeah, he's trapped alright…" Rai folded his arms.

"Watch this trick," the demon laughed, "Now you see it," it pushed the dagger down its throat, "Now you don't. See? Cool huh? Anyway, I'm off to take over the world," it laughed, "I'll be back to kill the rest of you freaks later."

The demon was about to leave when a sharp pain shot through its middle. It looked down to find the white blade sticking out of its gut.

"Shit," it gasped.

The blade had not only penetrated its flesh, but its armor as well.

"Ah," it tried to force the blade back in, but instead, it sliced through its hands.

A terrible roar filled the chamber.

"No," it screeched, "I won't let you go…"

The blade ran down its abdomen.

It looked to Dashi in terror.

"Consider yourself vanquished," the ancient spirit laughed.

"No… NO! AHHH!"

The demon dematerialized before the onlookers' eyes. It melted away to nothing until all that was left, was Jack's body on the floor.

"Congratulations, Dragon of Shadows, you've vanquished your evil," Dashi smiled.

"Ugh," Jack struggled to his feet, "it hurts so much…"

Jack was covered in a pure white robe that was cinched in the middle with a black sash that hung down his leg.

"What's this?" he tugged at the robe.

"It's part of rebirth. It's one of the many reflections of Ying and Yang," Dashi explained, "That is your uniform here at the temple. Instead of the standard, you will wear this."

Jack smiled, "That's nice, but what's the point?"

He could feel the disappointment from the others at his lack of respect for the Grandmaster.

"The point? Jack, listen, here's the deal. You left off as a Wudai Warrior, no?"

"Yeah…"

"And a Wudai Warrior is required to go on a Wudai Quest. Do you think this lesson should count as your quest?"

Jack chuckled, "It would be nice, but Wudai is the end of the road for me…"

"Is that so? Well, I _am _ the Grandmaster Dashi and as I recall, I created this temple and its rules. So how 'bout it? Wanna be a Master?"

"Wait, what? So wait, you can just give out ranks?"

"you've earned it. But you're training is not over yet. Master is not the end. I will tell you this Jack, the line must be drawn somewhere. I will _not_ permit you to ever reach the stage of Grandmaster. I'm afraid I must let that remain a sacred aspect of the Chosen Ones. However, you can still become a Master Monk. I think you can do it. It'll take years, but I'm sure you can handle it, the others'll help you. Right guys?" Dashi looked to the four Xiaolin Dragons; they all nodded, "Jack, this is a sanctuary, a place of learning. You have learned much thus far, but there is still so much more out there. You'll do fine," Dashi put a ghostly hand on Jack's shoulder, "I have faith in you, Dragon of Shadows."

Jack looked up at Dashi with a smile on his lips and tears in his eyes.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"And what about you, Chase?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna be good again?"

Chase glared at the spirit of his old comrade, "Please, Dashi," he said sarcastically.

"Seriously though, I know you've considered it."

Chase's eyes bulged, "Not in front of the monks, if you don't mind."

"It's okay, Chase. You're evil, no doubt about that, but you wouldn't be human if you didn't have some good in you too," Dashi smiled.

Chase growled.

"If you change your mind, Master Monk Chase Young, you know where to find me," Dashi looked to Jack once more, "Evil will always exist. As a Dragon of the Xiaolin Temple, it is your duty to stop it. Good luck, Jack Spicer. The same to the rest of you: Good luck. Not you, Chase," Chase snarled, "Looks like my work here is done, later."

With a smile, the spirit of Grandmaster Dashi pinched its nose and shrank back into the cauldron. Jack scrambled to look in, but found nothing more than smoldering embers.

"I'm out of here," Chase announced.

"Oooookay, Master Monk Chase Young," Omi mocked.

Chase hissed as he vanished from the temple.

The dragons assembled around Jack.

"It's good to have you back," Kimiko smiled as she patter him on the back.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, now we'll have less chores," Kimiko glared at him, "What? With a fifth person, we'll all have to do less," Kimiko still glared, "It's a good thing!" Kimiko shook her head and looked away.

"Welcome back, Jack," Clay thumped him on the back

"I too am most excited that you have returned to us, Jack Spicer," Omi grinned.

"Yeah, I'm happy to be back too. Things feel right now," he smiled.

"Alright, young monks," Master Fung approached them, "Now that the morning's festivities have concluded, there is much training to be done…"

"Oh man!" Rai moaned, "Come on!"

"Raimundo…" Master Fung sighed.

"Yeah, come on Master Fung! We should get today off!" Kimiko chirped.

"Kimiko…"

"We should be allowed to celebrate Jack's goodness," Clay added.

"Clay…"

"Dojo?" Omi called.

"Yeah? What?" the dragon slithered before him.

"To the beach! We must celebrate this day that Ying and Yang have been balanced!""

Dojo looked back at Master Fung who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, but you must work tomorrow," Master Fung announced.

"No problem," Rai smirked.

"Sure thing, Master Fung," Kimiko chuckled.

"You got it, Master Fung," Clay nodded.

"Oh yes, we will work most efficiently tomorrow," Omi proclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks," Jack smiled.

With that, Dojo took off with the five Xiaolin Dragons on his back: The Dragon of Wind, the Dragon of Fire, the Dragon of Water, the Dragon of Earth, and the Dragon of Shadows.


	49. Neighbors

**A/N:** And you thought it was over...

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Chase arrived back at his lair to a most unsettling surprise. Wuya was sitting on his throne as though it were hers.

"Wuya," he growled, "I told you to get lost!"

"Oh, Chase," she sneered, "You _did_ tell me to get lost, but you failed to specify where I was to 'get lost' to. I went to your library, Chase where guess what I found?"

"Oh no…"

Wuya held up her long fingered hand.

"I found a little spell that has changed everything," he finger tips began to glow green.

A look of terror and disgust came over Chase's face. He came home expecting to find himself the only force of evil, the top dog. Now the hag witch had her powers back. He was disgusted in the fact that he hadn't been thorough in making sure the hag had left. Chase growled at her.

"What's wrong, Chase? Did you _really_ think that you would have all the Heylin power to yourself?"

Chase was infuriated.

"But think of it this way, Chase," a glowing orb appeared in her hand, "It's just the two of us now. No bean or screwed up teenager. It's just us pros."

Wuya began to cackle madly.

"Leave this place," Chase hissed.

"Oh, but I _like_ your set up here. It's so… Roman," Wuya cackled some more.

"Wuya…"

"Fine, I don't like sharing anyway," with a snap, Wuya vanished.

Chase was filled with a mild sense of panic until he felt the earth beneath himself begin to shake. He ran to the entrance of his lair to find a humongous, dark tower sprouting from the land.

"She _had_ to ruin the view," Chase hissed.

"Well, Chase," she called to him, "Looks like we're neighbors!"

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**A/N: **Know it's over. There may still be a sequel... (looks around nervously) if you want...


End file.
